The Eternal Key
by Moonowl17
Summary: What happens when Gwen finds out that she is not who she thought she was? How will she handle the change and the issues that lie ahead? Crossover with Dr. Who. Gwen/Jack. No flames pls, 1st fic. Don't own anything, is BBC's and RTD.
1. Just the beginning

Gwen opened her eyes and looked around. She knew she wasn't at home from her surroundings; she guessed that she had fallen asleep in the hub. She heard footsteps and turned to see Jack in his office. She tried to sit up but couldn't. Her head hurt, and she tried to recall the events of the day. She looked down at her arm and saw that she had a drip in it. The IV had a bag of red fluid, blood she assumed, but why?

Jack looked up from his work and saw her awake and went over to her.

"Gwen, how are you feeling?" he said as he checked the IV and also her vitals.

"Confused Jack, what the hell happened?" she asked as she looked into his eyes. He looked down and smiled that ever reassuring smile at her.

"Nothing, well, not to worry about, I am here to take care of you." He said as he sat down beside her.

She tried to remember, but everything was cloudy. She needed to know, the last thing she knew was that Rhys was leaving her, he had enough of her secrecy and late nights working. She accepted this as she knew that with her job, it wasn't going to work. She felt hurt, had a shower and cried her heart out. She got dressed and came to work, acting as if nothing happened. That was the last thing she recalled, after that moment and until she woke up, nothing but cloudiness. She looked up at Jack "I have no where to go, not tonight…" she said to him. Jack knew what she meant, in her eyes he could see the pain she was in.

"You can stay here, with me." He said. She nodded in agreement and lay back down. The events, the IV and the emptiness in the middle, she needed to know.

"What had happened Jack? I'm scared to hell that I can not remember." She said. Jack took a deep breath, even after erasing the events from her memory, he felt obligated to tell her what had happened.

"We were on a mission, a comet had landed in the forest nearby and we went to investigate. All was okay, until it started to crack and something came out. It attached itself to you, absorbing your life energy, and also drinking your blood at the same time, this is why the IV. I was able to vaporize it, but the damage had already been done and you were unconscious. I picked you up and took you back to the SUV, nothing, no heart beat or pulse, just like an empty shell. I had to do something, so I did the only thing I knew; I gave you some of my life energy. This was not enough, you needed blood. I always carry some extra blood on me just in case, each member's type, so I inserted the IV and put you in the back of the SUV."

Jack paused in the story, allowing Gwen to comprehend what had happened to her. She sat there, trying to recall any of this, but still all she could see was cloud. "Why, I can't remember…" she began to say. Jack sighed. He did it to protect her as to remember something as horrible as that… the image still burnt in his mind, her collapsing, watching as that thing sucked her life energy from her. She didn't need to remember any of this as it was something rare, something that even he never thought possible as all of them were supposed to be dead. He looked at her and held her face in his hands.

"You must understand what I did was to protect you, as to remember what happened would be such a burden on you." He said to her. She looked into his eyes, seeing the seriousness and also the emotions that were there. She nodded and he let out a big breathe. "I erased this mission from your memory; it was too much for any being to handle. That thing that attacked you, it was supposed to have never existed, not anymore." He said, he stood up and walked away from her and continued the story. "I took you back here; calling in ahead to get more of the bloods ready as you had lost a lot and were still losing some. All I could do was get you back here as fast as I could. Owen closed up the wound, and you never woke up. I sent the team home and used the mind wiper to clear your mind of the event." He never once turned back to look at her, he was caught up in his own thoughts.

He didn't want to lose her, and for a few minutes there, he nearly did, and it scared the hell out of him. He laughed quietly to himself, Captain Jack Harkness, dependant on someone. The thought of that, something different scared him. He had never needed anyone, male, female or alien. Holding her in his arms, knowing that she had no life energy, she felt different, empty. He felt the emptiness inside him, something that has never been there before. He knew that he had to do something. Giving life energy to her, making sure that it was pure, no memories from him, just energy. She didn't need a lot, just enough to restore her body. She could create the rest herself he hoped, this was still something that he had to check. He turned and looked at her, still pale. A single tear fell down her cheek. She didn't need to know any of what he had told her, but she wanted to and he felt bad.

She didn't know what to do. She reached down and pushed herself up from the bed she was on. The room was so clean and boring, she hated this part of the office, but it was needed with all of the encounters that the team came across, a hospital was needed in the office. She tried to stand, but her right leg hurt. She fell to the floor and Jack turned. He went over and helped her stand up.

"It attacked your leg, the muscle was damaged and we had to repair it. Owen did a great job; he fixed it and then stitched it back up." Jack said as she leant on him for support. "The muscle may be painful for a while. I would not recommend walking on it for a few days" he continued to say as he helped her back onto the bed. She sighed; she hated being dependant on anything. She was depending on Rhys for a normal life, but she soon found out that in this job, there was no such thing. She turned to face Jack; he was someone who was always there for her. Her heart leapt, for the first time in a very long time. She felt a connection to Jack, maybe due to the life energy, but she felt like she owed him something.

"Without you…" she began to say

"Stop, don't even think about the other side, I was there and things turned out okay." He said to her as tears welled up in her eyes some more. He took her in his arms and held her close. The warmth of his body passed on to her, she was so cold. The other possibility, that he would have lost her if he didn't do anything was still spooking him.

Gwen looked at Jack; he looked tired, and drained. She knew that it was her fault, and that she could not do this anymore. She needed to get away from this, at least for a while.

"I need… I have to go" she whispered. Jack looked down at her.

"No, you need to stay here. What happened has happened and now, you need to rest to recover from all of this. I know that you have the strength to get through; it is just a small set back. Anyway, whatever comes from this may be worth all of the pain." He said, looking into her eyes. He helped her lie down on the bed and started to walk off.

"Jack!" she said as he walked away "don't leave me alone, please!" she begged. She was scared, like a child afraid of the dark. Jack turned and grabbed a chair and pulled it to her bedside. He reached over onto the table and picked up a machine that she had never seen before. Seeing the worry on her face, he looked briefly at her.

"Don't worry; I need to check your life energy, to make sure that your body is making it. Without this energy, nothing can live." He said as he pressed some buttons on the machine. He held it up and a light came over her, scanning body. After a few minutes, it beeped at Jack, signalizing that it was finished. He read the results and smiled. The energy that he had given her was enough and her body was producing more for her to get better. "See, everything is better, nothing to worry about!" he said as he put the machine back on the table and sat down beside her. He took her hand in his and began to stroke it. She looked at him, mesmerized by him and the things that she had done for him.

"Jack, how can I ever repay you?" she asked.

"You don't need to; you just need to be here." He replied. He reached into a drawer that was near the table and took out a syringe. "This will help you sleep for now. I will be here when you wake up." He said to her as he pushed the medication into the IV "sleep well" he said to her as she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Gwen woke up, still in the same place as she was before. She looked to her left and saw Jack, asleep in the chair, still holding her hand. She reached over with her other hand and shook him gently and he opened his eyes.

"There was a point where I was not sure if you actually slept!" she said to him. He smiled and let go of her hand.

"I normally don't, but I guess the events of yesterday finally caught up with me!" he said as he checked her over again. He heard the door opening and turned to see Ianto coming in. He looked at Gwen and smiled. He nodded his hello to Jack and went to making coffee. The door opened a second time, and both Tosh and Owen walked in and came straight to see Gwen. Owen checked her pulse and Tosh smiled at her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. Gwen looked at her and nodded. She smiled and went to her workstation; she never was good in these kinds of situations. Owen reached under the blanket and Gwen moved away when he touched her leg. He pulled away and looked at Jack who was also curious about this reaction. He went up to Gwen and held her hand.

"It's okay, remember we are all friends here, he just needs to check your wound" he said. She nodded and Owen pushed the blanket aside and removed the bandage. Gwen looked at the wound and was surprised to see that it was black. She looked at Owen and he said "don't worry, it isn't infected" as he continued inspecting the wound. He then cleaned it and bandaged it back up. "It will be fine; you should go home and get some rest." He said as he threw the rubber gloves into the bin. He could not look at her, he was no longer an intimate part of her life, just a work collogue, and a friend if he was lucky.

Gwen laid in the bed, looking at the ceiling, hearing all of the normal sounds that one could hear in the hub. The machines beeping and the doors opening. She sat up and looked at her IV, the bag empty. Owen came in and removed the IV from her arm and helped her sit up. He went into the cupboard and bought out a pair of crutches. She took one look at them and shook her head "I don't need them" she said to him and she stood up. Owen caught her as she fell to the ground. He helped her up and she laughed. She stood up by herself and limped into the main office. Jack looked out of his window and saw her standing up. He smiled at her and locked his computer and came to help her. He took her from Owen and she smiled at him.

"Come on; let's get you some clean clothes." Jack said, leading her to the door. She stopped, she wasn't ready to go back to the apartment, it was hers, but there were so many memories that she was not ready to face. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring Jack back either, in case Rhys was there. Jack stopped in his tracks as he felt the pull from her. He went to her and put his arm around her and continued to lead her out of the door. He helped her get into the SUV and drove her to the apartment.

She reached automatically into the glove compartment and got her ear piece and put it in, just in case they were going to be called. Jack saw this reaction in her and her look. He turned on the radio, hoping that it would relieve the tension that she had. They got closer to the apartment and Gwen was getting tenser. Jack pulled into the parking space that her car normally occupied and turned off the engine. He looked and Gwen, who took a deep breath, looked around for Rhys' car and got out. Jack followed her. They went into the apartment and saw that there were some things missing. She knew that Rhys had taken his things, and now, Jack would suspect something. She went into her bedroom and locked herself in there, not wanting to see Jack in this state. She climbed onto her bed and cried her heart out once again.

Jack watched Gwen go into the room, and guessing that she needed some time alone, he went to the sofa and switched on the TV. He heard the ear piece ringing and he answered it.

"Jack, its Owen, if you are near a TV, turn onto channel 1 now and watch the news." He said, and he did as he said. There were more reports of comets landing and people being killed. He could not bring to bear this burden again on Gwen, but he knew that she was the only one that could do this. He sighed. "Okay Owen, get Tosh to send the coords to the SUV, Gwen and I will be on our way!" he said as he hanged up and knocked on Gwen's bedroom door.

Gwen looked up when she heard the knock on the door. She knew that the communicators went off but did not want to answer it. Her face was red from crying, and she wiped her eyes.

"Gwen, we need to go, we have a situation!" Jack said to her. She stood up and went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Give me a few minutes Jack!" she called out as she splashed water on her face. She quickly changed her clothes and unlocked the door to see Jack waiting for her. She forced herself to smile, all the while in the inside; she was breaking up piece by piece. Jack took one look at her and could see her inner pain. He put his arm around her and helped her back to the SUV.

The silence remained between them. Jack was not sure if he should tell her, but he knew he had to.

"There are more of them landing on this planet, three more at the last count, and people are being killed by them. We need to find the last three and destroy them." He said, not turning to look at her, he could not bear to see her reaction to the news. He just drove on. Gwen sat there, trying to comprehend what Jack had told her, that there were more of them? She knew that she had to face them it was something that she had to do. She swallowed hard and focused on fighting back the tears again. She forgot to book out a gun, but lucky for her, Jack had packed a few extras in the SUV just in case. Jack looked at her as they pulled up to the first crash site. She remained looking ahead out of the window and just starred. Jack put his hand on her leg and she turned to face him. She smiled and nodded and they got out of the SUV, went to the boot, grabbed their weapons and also their knapsacks and went.

"Torchwood let us through!" Jack said to the police. They let them both pass without any problems.

"Tell you men to stand down" Gwen managed to say to the officer. The officer looked at her and nodded, signaling for his men to stand down. Jack saw that Gwen was not with him, went back and helped her to the site. Gwen put her knapsack down and pulled out the gun. She knew what was in there and what it was doing to people. Jack stood on the other side and also pulled out his gun. The comet opened and the thing jumped out at Gwen again, she froze for a split second before firing at it. It disintegrated into dust, and it was over. Jack went over to the case he bought and took out a container. With gloves on, he picked it up and put it in the container before sealing it and putting it back in the case. Gwen breathed a huge sigh of relive that it was over _one down, two more to go!_ She thought as she put her gun away. On the way back to the SUV, Jack took Gwen in his arms, hugging her. "You did great!" he whispered to her and she smiled. He let go of her and put the case and also their knapsacks into the SUV and they got in, and drove to the next set of coords that they were given.

They returned to the hub late at night. The only person left in hub clearing up was Ianto as Jack had told the others to go home. Ianto looked up at Jack with his arm around Gwen supporting her to the sofa. He said goodnight to them both and left, jealousy burning inside him, but he knew that this was going to happen. Gwen closed her eyes, relieved that it was all over and that no one else would have to go through what she did. Jack was locking the container with the three comets in the security box. Once he was done, he joined Gwen on the sofa. She knew that she had to do some paper work for this before she would go… _go where? Back to the apartment where there is nothing but painful memories?_ She thought to herself. She could not do it alone, but there was no need for her to stay in the hub once she had finished the paper work.

"Let's go out for a few celebratory drinks!" Jack said, as if reading her mind. She looked at him and nodded. She had a strange feeling as it would just be the two of them, but any distraction to postpone the paper work was welcome at this point.

They went to the bar that was not far from hub. Gwen made a promise to herself that she was not going to get drunk. Jack ordered their drinks and they found a table. Silence again surrounding them, only the juke box in the corner was the only background music that they could hear.

"So, how are you feeling?" Jack asked her, she looked up at him and put on a fake smile.

"I'm okay; kinda have a lot on my mind at the moment." She said to him. Jack knew what she meant; he also had things on his mind, mainly her that she would not get out of his head! He was not sure how to tell her this, so he drunk his drink. Gwen stood up, she couldn't take anymore of this "let's go somewhere, somewhere where everything can be left behind!" she said. Jack looked at her and smiled "I know the exact place!" he said as he stood up and took her by the hand.

Up on the top of the building, she felt free. All of her problems blew away in the wind. She shivered and Jack came up behind her and put his arms around her. The warmth of his body melted away the coldness in hers. She turned to face him, feeling his heart beating against her. She felt like she could confine in him, tell him everything about her.

"Rhys and I broke up." She said to him. He looked down at her and released his grip a bit. "It just wasn't working, I hated lying to him and also, he was like a part of me that just didn't belong once I met you and the rest of the team." She said. Jack listened to her, knowing that this would happen; it was like all of the other team members, single. The job devouring you and taking away whatever part of a normal life that they had left. She walked towards the edge of the roof. The feelings coming back to the surface, the sadness and also the pain that she had faced today and yesterday just took control of her. For the first time, she could not control her emotions; she crashed to the ground and wept. Jack came rushing to her, afraid that something had happened, an effect from the attack from yesterday, He knew the truth, the poison was still in her body, but it wasn't a huge amount, however she needed to be kept under surveillance, at least until there was a cure for it that he was working hopelessly on. He took her in his arms and she held on to him like a child, crying her heart out for the third time in two days.

After what seemed like an eternity for her, she calmed down. Relief all of a sudden washed over her and she felt somewhat normal, just the pain in her leg making it throb. She looked up at Jack, who was still holding onto her, tightly, as if he felt like he could not lose her, not again.

"Tell me something. When that thing took my life energy, how long was I…" she couldn't finish the sentence, she didn't know how to, was she supposed to admit that she was dead, even if it was for a few seconds, the thought alone that there could be nothing after this scared her to the bone. Jack knew; it was too long for him, feeling nothing in her, just a shell of herself, something that no one should be. They were better dead than to be sucked of their energy, the only thing that kept them alive.

"You don't need to know, just don't think about it anymore!" he said as he helped her stand up. "You can stay in the hub tonight if you like; I know that it must be hard to go home." He said. Gwen was shocked at his offer, she thought that he would never have had any sympathy, life goes on and all, she needed to face it. But not now, not after everything. She nodded in agreement and he led her down to the hub.

Empty and huge the hub was. She preferred it with the hustle and bustle of all of the team members. She went to her workstation and started to fill out the report while Jack went to his PC in the office. He turned it on and a picture appeared the DNA structure from Gwen. It was changing due to the poison, but this was not affecting her at the moment. He went back to the samples under the microscope and looked. The blood looked the same, except for one thing, an extra cell that he had no idea what it was. No matter how he tried to purify the blood, he couldn't see the cell by itself. He was running out of time and also ideas. The only one he could think of was a blood transfusion, but then she would know that something was wrong and he was not sure that it would get rid of it 100%, he just wanted a vaccine, to stop the poison and also the mutation it was causing. He looked down at her at her workstation. She was busy doing the reports for the day. He knew that what she faced today was hard, especially since it was the thing that killed her and is still taunting her. He thought about the people that the creature had killed, okay, it not really being the best way to die, but better than what she had to go through now. He needed her to stay here, he could not risk leaving her by herself, even be it at her apartment. He had a feeling that she wasn't going to be staying there long as it had too many memories for her to cope with. Jack went back to the PC and watched the DNA structure change yet again. He knew that this would take some time to happen, but it still wasn't long. He was so distracted that he didn't hear her coming into the room. He looked up as the door opened and changed the interface of his PC, she didn't need to know this for a while.

"The reports are done Jack, just need to go and label the comets that you collected." She said. He looked at her and nodded, handing her the key. Just as she took it, he pulled the key away. "It can wait until tomorrow, you look tired." He said. "Let's take you to a comfortable place." He said as he put the key in his pocket and reached out for her hand.

Gwen gave him a puzzled look, took his hand and he led her down another set of stairs. Down here was a room with a bed and also other things. It was Jack's bedroom. Even though he did not require sleep, he liked to lie down and think while the team was not in the hub. It was strange to show another member of the team this, before it was Ianto who knew about it, but he knew that with Gwen, it was something different, something that he needed, unlike with Ianto, it was nothing important, just someone to keep his bed warm at night. He gave Gwen a t-shirt and left the room to allow her to get changed. He came back a few minutes later to see her already changed looking at his CD collection. She looked up at him and smiled. The t-shirt was very big and drowned her, but she felt comfortable. She picked up a CD and handed it to him. He put it in the player and pressed play. He handed her the bottle of water that he had bought and they sat on the bed.

"This is a nice place." She said to him as she opened the bottle.

"Well, someone always has to be here on call, just in case…" he said, leaving the sentence open, he still had to find the cure.

"Jack, what's going on?" she said as she looked at him. He looked distracted and distant. He didn't want to tell her, this was something that he had to work out himself.

"Nothing, I just have a puzzle to work on at the moment." He said as he helped her lie down. "Now get some sleep." He said as he stood up to walk off.

"Jack, would you mind staying, just until I am asleep. It's like sometimes I am afraid to close my eyes…" she said. Jack looked at her and nodded, lying down next to her and taking her in his arms. She listened to his heartbeat and finally fell asleep.

She couldn't tell him, about the strange nightmare that she had been having since the incident. The dream scared her, but no matter how much she willed herself to wake up, she couldn't. The first one, she was on the comet, inside it, hiding waiting for the perfect time to attack. She felt the creature's emotions. She dreamt its history and also that it had brothers, the ones that they found. There were such a few of them. But the dream that she was having now, was something else. The creature was changing and was happy about something. Gwen forced herself to wake, screaming, kicking, seeing what this creature was doing to people that it had attacked in the past, other beings. She wanted to wake from the nightmare, but she was too deep in it. The creature turned and from what she could guess, it smiled. It started to approach her. She was kicking and screaming, but nothing came out of her mouth and she couldn't move her arms or legs, they were tied.

"Gwen, wake up!" she could hear a voice and she recognized it as Jack, she called out to him and forced herself to wake up. Still nothing, the creature was approaching her. "Come on Gwen, fight it, wake up!" she could hear Jack calling to her. She began to cry as the creature came closer. It was about to touch her when she forced herself awake for the third time and succeeded. She sat up, and felt a hand on her. She turned to see Jack. She was breathing so rapidly and was sweating. Jack put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down to the bed. She allowed him to push her down and he took her yet again in his arms.

Jack had heard her screaming from his office, he rushed as quickly as he could to her side, to see her kicking and waving her arms around. He called out to her, shook her telling her to wake up but she couldn't. She was calling back to him and he understood, something was happening in her dream that was keeping her from waking up. He called to her, telling her to fight it, then all of a sudden, she sat up awake. As he got her to lie back down in the safety of his embrace he was scared. He had never encountered anything like this in his life. The poison was affecting her in her dreams, however not in the physical world yet, it was now only a matter of time. He looked down at her, her breathing slowing down, just fear in her eyes. Jack laid her on the bed and went to get a towel to wipe her forehead. He came back and she was sitting up. He wet the towel and started to wipe her face.

She looked drained, as if something was zapping her of something she needed. Jack put the towel down and went into the hospital side of the hub. He got his machine and went back to her. He activated it and checked her life energy; it was being drained somehow, just a little. He turned off the machine, the need for the cure becoming somewhat greater. He could help Gwen, but for how long? He knew that he had loads of life energy, but to help her for a long period of time could be costly. What if he can't find the cure in time? How could he live with the feeling of emptiness that he had the day of the incident? It wasn't an option, he had to help her, but he knew that she was going to be too scared to sleep from now on, and who could blame her! He took Gwen back in his arms and hoped that his touch would somehow help her calm down.

"I'm scared Jack" he heard her whisper.

"Don't worry, I will make this all better somehow!" he said. She looked up at him and saw the worry and also the love… could it be that he was falling for her? She was not sure if she saw that correctly. She moved her head closer to his and tried to look deeper, to see if what she saw was true. "Jack…" she began to say to him, but his head was moving towards her and he put his lips on hers. The kiss was short, both not knowing the other person's reaction. Jack felt warmth, nothing that he had felt by kissing anyone before. Gwen pulled away after a few seconds and looked at Jack. His reaction was hard to read, it was something new to him. He moved his head closer to hers and kissed her once again, this time she didn't pull away. The kiss grew deeper and Jack laid her back on the bed. Gwen pulled away and looked at him. She could see it clearer now; the feelings that were growing inside of her were also growing inside of him. Jack pushed her hair out of her face and looked at her.

"Is this right?" she asked him

"It feels more than right for me." He said to her "I need to know, what was in that dream Gwen, what scared you so much?" he asked her. She turned away from him and looked at the wall.

The nightmare came flashing back, to her and she closed her eyes. She wanted to show it to Jack; she hated trying to explain things.

"It's hard to explain, but basically the creature was happy and it was something to do with me." She said as she pushed Jack gently away and sat up. "How do I know that the next time I close my eyes that it is not going to be there again?" she asked him. He didn't know how to answer that as he wasn't sure.

"I don't know, but you can not go without sleep for a long time, you will be affected by it." He said. "You can stay here in the hub. I am always here and will be with you to make sure that someone will always wake you up." He said as he took her back in his arms "I promise, that I will not let anything happen to you and that I will fix this." He said to her as he stroked her hair and kissed her on the head. She listened to his heartbeat and started to close her eyes. Jack could tell that she was falling asleep again by her breathing and shook her gently "Gwen, try and stay awake." He said as she opened her eyes. "It should be easy, it's only the first night!" he said as she looked up at him. "Let's order pizza okay?" he asked, she nodded and he took her hand and led her upstairs into the hub to call the pizza delivery.

Gwen wandered back down to Jack's room to put her clothes back on. She felt somewhat stupid being in the t-shirt alone and also guilty about the dreams that she had been having. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw that she was still pale. She hated feeling this way, she wasn't sick, but somehow the injury was hurting her more than she could imagine. She heard footsteps and turned to see Jack coming down.

"Pizza is on its way." He said to her, she smiled. It was strange to be here in a different part of the hub that few people had seen. Jack came up to her and pushed her hair out of her eyes again. She didn't know what to do. Her feelings for Jack were growing and she was sure that it was the right thing, but right now? Her head began to hurt and she raised her hand to it. It began to get worse and she let out a slight moan. Jack looked down at her and saw that she was in pain. Gwen closed her eyes as the pain intensified. Jack took her over to the bed and rushed off to the hospital room to get her something. He came back with a syringe in her hand, lifted the sleeve to her shirt and wiped it quickly with an antiseptic pad before she felt a prick and then the liquid going into her. Jack pulled out the needle and applied pressure to the site with a piece of cotton wool. The pain began to subside so she knew that Jack had given her pain medication. She began to slowly open her eyes and saw Jack looking over her. She smiled weakly as the pain began to subside even more. He knew that now it was starting, the dreams were just a warning, and now, the poison was starting to take affect. He had to hurry and find the cure, but at the same time keep and eye on her life energy and as soon as it went lower than what a human needed, he would then need to transfer some more.

The doorbell rang and he left her to go and get the food. She wandered around the room as the pain had completely subsided. She was surprised at how fast the medication took effect, but she was also relieved that it did. The kiss that had happened between her and Jack was playing in her mind. It was like something unreal, but it felt different to her, it was like she had just been _really_ kissed for the first time. Her lips still tingled, reminding her of him. She knew that this was different, but also it felt like, in a way that it was destiny that she stumbled upon Torchwood that rainy day. She smiled as the day came back to her; he looked up at her and asked her what she thought about it. For her it was all strange to begin with, I mean she saw someone who was dead come back to life!

As she remembered, she wandered around the room, touching objects in Jack's room as she passed them. As she touched a stone, she felt some energy coming from it. She removed her hand as quickly as she could. She picked the stone up to look at it more closely and heard Jack coming down the stairs. It was just a rock from what she could tell. Jack saw her with it in her hand.

"It's nice, isn't it?" he asked her, she nodded. It was a rock, but somehow, it was shimmering under the light. She looked at it more closely, but could not see anything strange.

"It's all I have to remind me of the place that I could more than likely call home." He said as he took it from her.

"When I touched it, I could feel some kind of energy coming from it." She said as she watched him putting it back.

"Well, you would be the first person to feel something like that. I think that may be due to the life energy that I gave you." He said as she looked at the rock more. He wasn't sure, but that was the most likely explanation that he could think of. He turned and got the pizza box. Gwen followed him as they went back up the stairs and into his office to the conference table.

They ate in silence. In a way she hated that the hub was underground, because then she could not see any of the outside world. She looked at her watch and guessed that it was nearly sunrise. Sighing, she turned back to her pizza and realised that she wasn't hungry anymore. She knew that the rest of the team would be coming in soon and she was still in the same clothes from yesterday. She knew that she had some spare clothes in the locker, but she also needed to shower, however she was not allowed to get her leg wet due to the stitches in it. She would have to wait for Owen to get in to see if they could be removed, but she knew that it would be too early for that to happen. She put her pizza down on the plate, only half eaten and stood up. Jack looked up at her and she smiled as she went to the locker room to get changed.

Jack was left alone. He was also not that hungry. He put his pizza down and went back to his computer to look at the DNA sample that he had. The structure had seemed to stabilized, but it was different, not human. He had to find out and started to run a search using the database that they had with alien DNA in it to try and find a match. He left the machine running as he went back to the blood sample. The sample was a few days old now, he needed a new one, but also some tissue sample_, from around the wound would be the best _he thought. The door to the hub opened and he was shocked to see Owen coming in. Owen looked up and nodded his hello to Jack. Jack came out of his office "Owen, I need to see you." He said. Owen turned and looked at him before he entered the locker room, nodded and made his way up to Jack's office. Jack close the door and Owen sat down at the table.

"What's wrong boss?" Owen said.

"I need a blood and a tissue sample from Gwen." Jack said. Owen was surprised; he never asked anything like this.

"May I ask why?" Owen said, knowing that he was not sure if he would get a straight answer from Jack.

"Just to check on her. But don't tell her that I am the one asking; just say that it's normal procedure." Jack said as he turned back to his computer, hoping that the database had found something. He looked up and saw Owen still sitting there "any other questions?" Jack asked him with a serious look on his face. Owen shook his head and left. He saw Gwen coming out of the locker room and she stopped to talk to Owen. Once their conversation had ended, she went to her work station and turned on her computer, activating the messenger service based in the Torchwood system. Jack saw out of the corner of his eye that she was online.

Gwen was surprised by the request that Owen wanted, but as he said that it was procedure she had no objections. She had never heard of this happening, but she guessed that something like this rarely happened. She waited at her desk for Owen, re-reading the reports that she submitted last night, and also remembering that she had to check the samples. To do that, she would need to get the keys from Jack, and at the moment, she was not sure how to act around him. Owen came out of the locker room and went to Gwen.

"You ready?" he said. She nodded and locked her computer and went to the hospital room with him. Once there, she sat on the bed and Owen put on a pair of gloves. "I just need some blood and a tissue sample." He said as he picked up a prepared blood testing kit. He bought the tray to her and also a stool as she rolled up her sleeve. He picked up the torkey and put it around her arm and tightened it. He started to commence in looking for a vein and wiping the spot with an antiseptic wipe. Gwen turned her head, she hated needles. Owen put the needle in and drew three vials of blood. Once he was done, he removed the needle and gave her a cotton ball to put on the wound. Next sample was going to be harder than that.

"Gwen, I need to re-open the wound to get the tissue sample. I will give you a local so that you will not feel anything and will be as quick as I can. I'm sorry, but this will mean that the stitches will have to stay in for another week." He said. Gwen nodded, understanding what he was saying as she rolled up her trouser leg; Owen went to get the equipment that he needed.

She turned on her side and closed her eyes. "Okay, here is the local, and then we will give it a few minutes to take effect before doing the procedure." Owen said to her as she felt the needle going into her leg. After a few minutes, Owen pricked the skin gently, "did you feel that?" he asked, she shook her head and he commenced in re-opening the wound. He took care to go along the same scar that was created by the creature to get a small tissue sample. When he opened it, he could see that the muscle had healed quite well, and he was proud at the job that he did. He took a scalpel and cut away a bit of the skin and also the muscle that was damaged and put them in a dish and sealed them. Once he was done, he cleaned the wound and stitched it back up. He re-bandaged it and tapped her on the shoulder.

"It's over, you can open your eyes now!" he said as she looked down at her leg. She saw that it was bandaged up and sat up, pulling the trousers over the wound. Owen put the samples in a clear bag and left them on the table. Gwen looked at them briefly, again wondering why they were needed. She stood up and her leg hurt a bit again. She walked as best as she could to her station. She sat down but then remembered that she still needed to look at the samples. She looked up in Jack's office and saw that he wasn't there. He was the only one who had the keys. She heard the door opening and saw both Tosh and Ianto walked in. They saw Gwen at her station and Tosh was surprised, however in Ianto's eyes, there was only jealousy. He went to make the coffee and also to clean up the pizza while Tosh went to her work station.

The day went on as normal; however Jack was rarely to be seen in the hub. It was as if he was hiding something. She saw Owen going into the office once with something, but that was all. She still needed the keys to go and look at the comets, even though she wasn't sure if it was a good idea. She finally looked up and saw Jack in the office. Knowing that she wasn't sure if she would see him for long, she went into the office, knocking on the door before entering. Jack looked up and signaled for her to come in. She opened the door, closed it and sat at the conference table.

"What's up Gwen?" he asked her.

"I still need the keys to check the comets from yesterday." She said to him. He reached into his pocket and threw them to her.

"Take someone with you, and make sure that you both suit up and carry a gun, I don't want the same thing to happen again." Jack said as he looked at his computer.

"That wasn't my fault…" she said quietly as she stood up and picked up the keys and started to walk out of the office.

"I know I just need you to be careful!" he said to her as he walked to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I can't let anything else happen to you, not now." He said to her, looking at her straight in the eyes. "How is your leg feeling?" he asked as he guided her back to the conference table and sat down next to her.

"It's still a bit sore, but its better I guess." She said as she looked at Jack. There was another knock and the door and Ianto came in carrying coffee for the both of them. They said thanks to him and he left them to the conversation. They drunk a bit of their coffee and silence engulfed them.

"You know that you are staying here right?" Jack said to her, she nodded. "In that case, we need to go back to your apartment to get you some clean clothes and other things I guess." He said, she smiled and nodded in agreement. Just then Owen rushed in.

"Jack, we have a situation!" he said to him. The both of them hurried downstairs to Tosh's computer to see what was going on.

There was another report of yet another comet landing. Jack looked at Gwen and wondered if this nightmare would ever end.

"Tosh, hack into NASA's satellites and see if you can find out if we should expect any more of these things. Owen, call the police and get them to block the area ASAP, we don't want people getting hurt. Gwen, suit up, we are off out on this again." He shouted at the team while running to get equipment, some things from his office and guns. Gwen went to her desk and grabbed her stuff and rushed to Jack's side to help him with the equipment. Once they were ready, they went to the SUV and drove off. Gwen handed Jack the headset and he put it on, activating it as she did the same to hers.

"Tosh, we need the coords here now. Owen, how is it going with the police?" Jack asked.

"Our friendly police department was right on the job as soon as I said the word Torchwood, so we must have some power somewhere!" Gwen heard him saying over her headset. The navigation system beeped as the coords were sent to it and they continued driving. Gwen turned to the back seat and grabbed a gun, checking that it was in working order. Jack turned and briefly looked at her doing this and smiled, remembering the day that he had showed her how to load and shoot a gun. After she finished checking, she put it back in the case and tried to not panic about another one of the comets. She needed to know how many were out there, she was hoping that this was already over, but they kept coming back, as if they were tracking something.

"Tosh, how is it coming with NASA?" Gwen asked Jack was surprised at her.

"There seems to be a meteor storm of some kind the past few days. It's nearly at the end from what I can tell from the pictures, but these comets, some look strange. We need a sample."

"There are already three in hub" Gwen said.

"Four." Jack corrected her. Gwen looked at him, he had picked up the comet that attacked her and not said anything. She looked at Jack and he shrugged. She knew that he wouldn't have left it at the site but still…

The SUV slowed down and Gwen guessed that they had reached their destination. She reached over and grabbed her knapsack and also the case that they needed. Jack got out of the SUV and walked over to the crash site that the police had already cornered off.

"Torchwood I assume?" the constable said to him. Jack nodded and he let him pass. "And the other girl?" he asked.

"She is with me." Jack said as he went back to get her, putting his arm around her at the same time. They went down to the crash site. This comet was somewhat bigger than the other four that they had in hub and Gwen felt something.

"Jack, this one inside is more mature than the ones we have seen already." She said. Jack looked at her.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"I don't know, I just know!" she shrugged. A feeling of happiness overtook her. She shouldn't be happy she thought, she backed away from the comet.

"Jack, something isn't right!" she said. Jack saw her backing away and he did the same. "Its happy, the thing in there, its laughing." She said. Jack was getting worried; the poison was linking her to these creatures. He knew of a psychic link, but this kind of link? The comet started to open and Gwen readied her gun. Jack moved back some more.

"Gwen, move back!" he said as she had started to walk towards the comet, lowering the gun. Jack readied his gun and moved towards Gwen, trying to pull her back, but she was strong. He saw something moving inside the rock and without thinking, shot it in a second. It disintegrated and Gwen stopped. Jack went up to her and shook her.

"Gwen, come on snap out of it!" he said as he clicked his fingers in front of her. She was stuck in a trance. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. At first there was no response, but after a few seconds more, she started to response. Jack released the tension that was building up in him as she relaxed in his embrace. She pulled away and looked at the comet.

"What just happened Jack?" she said. Jack took her in his arms. The poison was affecting another side of her, this wasn't good.

"Gwen, how many more of them are there out there?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"Three more, but these ones are bigger." She said. Jack looked at her. She was linked to them and they were being drawn to her as he had bought her back. Gwen's eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted in Jack's arms. Jack picked her up and laid her down to the ground away from the comet. He went into his knapsack and got his machine. He checked her life energy. It was getting less. She needed a transfer soon. He couldn't do it here with the police watching.

"Owen, I need that cure!" he said over his communicator.

"I am working as best as I can Jack, the database hasn't really given me much to work with! And keeping it a secret from Gwen as well as me wasn't one of your best ideas!" he said to him.

"I need it, this has to end. Tosh, Gwen said that there are three more big ones out there. See if you can find out which ones."

"How am I supposed to know that Jack?" she said. Jack looked at the big comet lying in front of him.

"It will shimmer a bluish colour in the light of the sun!" he said to her as he pressed his headset off. He went up to his case and got out a box and gloves. He picked up the comet and put it in the box. He looked at Gwen, she was still out. It was better for him this way. Once he was done he went over to her. She needed to wake up. He put his hand on her head, she was burning up. He undid her jacket. "Come on Gwen, wake up!" he said.

She could hear him, and she wanted to do what he said but she couldn't. _Where am I, let me out!_ She said to the emptiness. She could hear a laugh and knew that she was trapped. She had to get out. _You are not going to win this; I will make sure of this!_ She shouted out to the darkness. _That is where you are wrong!_ She heard something say; she looked around and saw nothing. She closed her eyes, hearing Jack's voice telling her to wake up. She remembered the kiss and willed herself to come back.

Gwen opened her eyes and sat up suddenly breathing deeply. Jack took her in his arms and held her. Tears silently fell down Gwen's cheeks as she looked at the box with the comet in.

"They know who I am?" She whispered. Jack heard her and nodded. It was his fault that they could communicate with her in a way. But in a strange way, he needed this link. He helped Gwen stand up and she looked at him. She wanted to scream at him, but she knew that without him, she would be dead. She walked away, picking up her knapsack and gun. She turned to face Jack, looked at him, tears still falling uncontrollably down her cheeks and went to the SUV. Jack picked up the case, his knapsack and also the container with the comet in. He then went to the SUV.

"Situation is now under control, you and your boys can go now. Thanks." He said to the constable as he walked pass him.

"What about your female companion?" the police man asked him.

"She's fine." Jack said and walked away.

Jack put the equipment and container in the boot and went into the SUV. He looked at Gwen. She was still pale and staring out of the window. He reached over and took her hand in his. She looked at him and tried to smile.

"When the last three come and we have them, will anything happen to me?" she asked him.

"The link should be broken once they are all dead. For now, we should try and use it to help us find them. I know that this isn't exactly the best way, but we need this link to do that." Jack hated to admit that, this was killing her again and they, Torchwood needed this to track down the creature. "Let's get you back to the hub so you can lie down." He said as he started the engine. Gwen reached into her pocket and realised that she still had the keys to the security cupboard. She took them out and gave them to Jack, as well as her communicator and got out. Jack looked in his hand. She couldn't go off by herself, with the amount of life energy that she had left; she would be dead in a matter of hours. He stopped the engine and ran out after her.

"Gwen, where are you going?" he said to her as he reached her. He pulled her into his arms and made her stop walking. She tried to push him away but his embrace was too strong. She started to hit him in the chest, hoping that he would let her go, but he only held onto her tighter. Finally, she gave up and started crying.

"Jack, where are you? Give us a progress report." He could hear Owen in his communicator.

"It's done; we will be back in the hub in an hour. How is it going there?" Jack asked as he held onto Gwen.

"The database came back empty. As for the cure, it isn't looking good. How is Gwen?" Owen asked. Jack sighed.

"She could be better. Set up the hospital wing, we need to check what is in these things. Tosh, how is the comet search coming?" Jack asked

"So far I haven't found them, but it's hard, I will keep looking." She said. Jack turned off his communicator and held Gwen tightly in his arms, stroking her head and kissing her lightly.

Gwen calmed down and closed her eyes in Jack's arms and began to sleep. Jack picked her up, hoping that her nightmares would leave her alone just this once and took her back to the SUV. He strapped her in and started the engine and drove back to the hub. Once he got there, Owen was waiting for him. He looked at Gwen sleeping then at Jack.

"Let her be, she needs this it's been hard for her. Lock up the comet with the others." He said to Owen as he threw him the keys. Jack felt Gwen's communicator in his pocket. He pulled it out and put it in the glove compartment and un-strapped Gwen. He lifted her out and took her to his room and laid her on the bed. She was still sleeping, and from what he could tell, the nightmares were not bothering her. He sat down next to her, afraid to leave her in case she woke up. Jack checked her head, she still had a fever. He went and got a wet towel and some cold water. He needed to transfer some life energy to her. He closed the door to his room and locked it. He dug down and pulled out the energy from himself and gave it to Gwen. After a few minutes it was over and he crashed to the ground. He overdid himself, but he needed to make sure that she had enough, as without it, he didn't want to think, but also he knew that this would draw the other three comets to Earth. Gwen's fever had broken more than likely due to the energy transfer and she was still sleeping. He went to the door, unlocked it and went into his office. Tosh, Owen and Ianto came into the office and sat down at the conference room. Jack looked at his team.

"Ianto, I need a bucket of ice water just in case Gwen's fever comes back. Owen, check out the comets, see if you can find anything useful." He said. "Tosh, keep looking for the last three comets. Go with Owen examine the comets to see if it will help you. Both of you suit up and be careful. I can not have another member of this team sick." The team looked at him. He was weary and zapped at the moment, He sat down by his computer and the team left the room. Ianto came back with the bucket he wanted and also some coffee.

"How is she?" he asked. Jack looked up to him.

"It doesn't look good. We need to get her better. Look, I know that we had something, but Ianto you knew it was only something brief. It wasn't going to last." He said to him as he drank the coffee. Ianto looked at him.

"I know, I hope she makes you happy." He said and left Jack alone in the office.

When Gwen awoke, she saw that she was in Jack's room. She sat up and looked at her watch. It was late, the reports needed doing. She went into his office and saw that the team was in the hospital wing looking at something. She walked down the stairs and Jack turned and saw her. He went over to her and took her in his arms. Shocked, she hugged him back and he kissed her on the cheek.

"Never do anything like that again to scare me!" he said, referring to her walking out of the SUV. She laughed and nodded. She looked up at the rest of the team.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing, we were just checking something. Tosh has found two of the three comets in space. Owen and I were just doing the check of the comets. Why don't you go back down and relax?" he said to her, she shook her head.

"No, I should do the reports." She said as she went to her work station. Jack looked at her and went back to Owen.

"So, do you think that this will work?" Jack asked.

"The mineral from the comet should hopefully provide Gwen with a barrier to stop them absorbing her life energy, but it will not break the link they have." Owen said as he looked in the microscope.

"Are you sure? If she gets worse…" Jack said threatening him.

"I am the last person who wants to see her get worse Jack. This should work. If you are saying that you have to transfer energy to her, this will stop them absorbing it as this mineral was stopping them from absorbing it. It was as if they were trapped in them." Owen said as he readied the mixture. "But it's going to take a while, and then we are not sure if this will stop her being sick, but we can hope." He said as he mixed the solution in a saline bag. "I need an hour then we can give this to her." Owen said. Jack looked at her. She had more colour in her face now, due to the fact that she had more life energy. He had to trust Owen on this and he kept his fingers crossed.

Gwen couldn't concentrate on the report, but it had to be done. Ianto came over to her with some water. She looked up at him.

"Thank you." She said.

"Jack said to take care of you. I know about you both, and I just wanted to say that I hope you and him are going to be happy." He said and walked off. Gwen looked at her computer screen, an IM from Jack popped up.

**Jack: How are you feeling?**

**Gwen: Better, no nightmares this time.**

**Jack: That's a good sign, I think they took what they needed from you already.**

**Gwen: T****hanks for the reassurance Jack!**

**Jack: You know how important you are to me, just be careful and try to finish the report!**

**Gwen: How did you know?**

**Jack: I'm the boss can access the computer system and see you report.**

Gwen rolled her eyes and went back to the report. She briefly looked up at Jack in his office. He was busy talking to Owen about something. It was strange that the team was still here, but they all seemed to be working on the finding of the comets. She went back to the report and finished it as best as she could, consider that she couldn't remember much of it. She knew that Jack didn't need to know that. Her IM flashed again from Jack and she read the message:

**Jack: come to my office please.**

Gwen locked her computer and went up the stairs to his office. Owen was still there and he had a few saline bags in his hand.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she sat down. Owen went up to her and put the bags in front of her.

"We need to give you this; it's just a saline drip, to make sure that you are hydrated enough." He said. He hated to lie to her. She looked at him; she knew there had to be something else.

"There's more, isn't there?" she asked him. Owen looked at Jack; he had to explain this one. Owen walked to the door.

"When you are ready, I will bring the infusion kit and we can put you somewhere comfortable as this will take all night." Owen said and left them. Gwen turned her attention to Jack. There was something that he wasn't telling her.

"Jack, what is in this stuff?" she asked. Jack looked up at her from his computer.

"There is a solution that will stop the creatures absorbing your life energy." He said to her.

"But I thought that you said that wasn't happening anymore?" she asked.

"It was, but slowly. Today the time that you fainted, it was because these bigger ones were absorbing more. We found a mineral in the comet which was stopping them from absorbing, that was why the first ones were so small. These ones were bigger because they had a new link and source, you." He said. He was feeling guilty as he had a role to play in this, but he had to bring her back, holding her in his arms, she was empty, nothing there. It hurt him more than anything, and he should know he had been shot in the head and dead for several days. "This will stop them from taking your life energy. You should feel fine once it is complete." He said as he walked over to her.

"And the nightmares?" she asked.

"This will not stop them that is a different link which I am still working on." He said as he sat down beside her. "We will set it up so that you can have the infusion here. It is going to be a long night, a total of five of these bags.

"Why so many?" she asked.

"As we are not sure of the strength and also of human body reaction, we are only giving you a small amount per bag." He explained. Gwen nodded, not being able to comprehend this; she just went to her work station, leaving him alone in his office.

Jack sighed. One problem was solved but the other one was still there. He was glad that the link would not be damaged; he didn't understand how as the poison was creating both problems, but they could only fix one with this. The other link was another part of the poison, it was like half killing a creature and it still lived. Jack went out of his office and shouted to Owen to set everything up. Owen went over to Jack and took the bags from him.

"Did you tell her about the other link?" he asked.

"Yes, but not about the poison, I think she has enough on her mind, and I don't want you to go around telling her either!" he warned Owen before he left him. Owen went to Gwen and took her to the hospital room.

"Why is this happening? I mean I can't sleep for fear of the nightmares and now this." Gwen said as Owen inserted the needle in her vain. Once he covered it, Gwen turned to look at him "What did you find in my blood Owen, there has to be more to it than this?" she asked. Owen had his back to her as he was throwing the gloves that he used away. He sighed and Gwen could tell as his shoulders dropped.

"I'm sorry Gwen, I can't tell you anymore than what Jack has already told you, but you are in no danger. Let's just hope that this works okay. It's going to be a long night and we have everything here just in case.

As the night progressed, Tosh and Ianto went home, leaving Jack and Owen to look after Gwen. Jack hadn't come down to see her since he told her about the treatment. So far, three bags finished she was feeling fine. Owen was always with her and he bought a television into the hospital room so that they had some entertainment.

"No way, how can you say that!" Gwen said to Owen as he made a comment about Eastenders.

"How can you watch it?" he asked her. Gwen's expression changed. It was something that she watched with Rhys. She hadn't thought about him in a few days due to what was going in here.

"It was something Rhys and I used to watch and I would make fun of him wanting to watch something like that." Gwen said as she looked up at the drip. "Owen, I need to get out, can we stop this please?" she asked. Owen shook his head.

"We should finish it; this is the right amount that you need to stop them from hurting you. I'm sorry Gwen; I know you want to get out." He said to her as he turned the TV off.

"It's just, I feel like a human guinea pig, being stuck here in the hub with this medication going into me, and we are not sure if it is going to work or if I am going to react to it. I mean what if they still drain my energy?" Gwen said as she lay on the bed and faced Jack's office. He was in there, but he wasn't looking at her. Her heart fell. She knew that he felt guilty about what was happening to her, but that shouldn't stop him from coming down to see her. Owen could see her looking at him.

"He feels guilty about all of this." He said to her.

"He doesn't have to, if it wasn't for him, I would not be here at all. He should be glad that he was able to bring me back to life. And now, when I feel like I need him, he hides I his office." She said as she watched his every move.

"He doesn't know how to handle this." Owen said to her. "I'll be back okay, just close your eyes and relax." She laughed, she couldn't close her eyes she was scared about the second link, but she turned the other way as looking at jack was upsetting her.

Owen left Gwen and went to Jack's office.

"If you really had feelings for her, you would be at her side right now. Do you have any idea what is happening to her, how she is feeling?" Owen yelled at Jack.

"Her DNA is changing! Of course I know what she is going through I see it happening in front of my face and feel guilty that I could hurt someone that I love!" he yelled back at Owen. Owen looked at Jack shocked.

"You love her? If you really felt like that, you would be telling her the truth, not watching her being in pain." Owen said as he walked towards the door and left. He knew that he was right, but he couldn't admit it to himself. He let out a huge sigh; it was time to talk to Gwen.

Owen came back down after talking to Jack. "Sometimes he shocks even himself, but he needs to learn." He said as he checked Gwen's vitals. "Let me take some blood. I want to see how this is going." He said as she sat up.

"It can wait Owen; I need to talk to Gwen please." Jack said. Gwen turned and saw him next to her, surprised that she didn't hear him coming. Owen nodded and left them. Jack turned and faced Gwen. He sat down next to her on the bed and put his arm around her.

"I'm sorry for all of this…" Jack began to say.

"If you didn't, I would be dead Jack; you have nothing to feel sorry or guilty for. I owe you my life." She said to him Jack looked into her eyes and saw so many emotions. He moved his face to her and kissed her. The kiss was the most passionate one that Gwen had ever experienced. She wrapped her arms around Jack and he pushed the kiss deeper, making her melt. She moaned as the kiss intensified more and more. She had never felt such passion. Jack then slowed the kiss down. He couldn't let it get any deeper, not here in this part of the hub anyway.

"I am never going to let you die, just trust me with everything Gwen and I will get you through this." He said to her. She nodded. She was in love with him and that kiss confirmed it more than ever.

"Jack… I…" she began to say.

"I know me too." He said, he didn't want their first declaration to be here in this situation. "You can tell me another time." He said as he smiled his amazing smile. She nodded in agreement and leaned on his chest.

"Okay Owen, you can come in now." Jack said loudly, knowing that he wasn't far. Owen entered the room, looking at Jack. He had overheard everything, and Jack still hadn't told her the truth about the poison, but he had to respect that. He took the bloods and left the hub to get some air. Jack really hoped that this was work, but Gwen started to cough. Jack stood up and got her some water.

"How are you?" he said, as she drunk some water.

"I feel fine." She said in between coughs. She looked into her hand and saw some blood, this wasn't good. She didn't want to scare Jack so she wiped it away on a tissue she had in her pocket while Jack poured her another glass of water. She took it and began to drink. She continued coughing. She felt sick and reached over the side and vomited. This time she was unable to hide the blood that was coming up. Jack looked at the floor just as Gwen passed out on the bed. Jack grabbed his communicator and hoped that Owen had his as they agreed on earlier.

"Owen; get down here now!" Jack yelled as he checked to see if Gwen still had a pulse and stopped the drip from putting the medication into her body. It was there and also she was breathing, so he had no idea where the blood was coming from.

Owen ran in and looked on the floor. Seeing the blood, he went to Gwen. He checked her pupils, she was out.

"What happened?" Owen asked.

"She was coughing, so I handed her some water. She drunk it so I gave her another cup and then she was sick and passed out." Jack explained as he checked to see if her life energy was being affected.

"How does it look?" Owen asked as he tried to wake up Gwen.

"Fine, stronger than before in fact. The medication is working, but it must be affecting the mutation." Jack said. He tried to wake Gwen up as Owen checked the blood. Gwen's eyes opened as she looked at Jack.

"One of them is here." She said to him. Jack couldn't leave her alone, not now.

"Where Gwen, tell me where?" he asked. The least he could do was call in a huge favor from the police. Gwen closed her eyes; she needed to see if she could use the link the other way.

"Nearby, a forest, close to where the first one landed." She said as she re-opened her eyes. "Jack, you have to get rid of it, don't worry about me!" she said. He looked into her eyes, she was fighting a huge internal battle but he knew he had to get to it before anyone else.

"Okay, Owen call and get Ianto and Tosh to come back in. All of you, keep the communicators on, even you Gwen, I need your help to guide me there." He said as he threw her communicator to her. He grabbed his knapsack, gun and case and left the office in the SUV. Owen was busy on the communicator with the other two team members. Gwen was about to stand when she heard hers ringing in her ear.

"Don't get any stupid ideas while I am gone, I want to see you awake!" Jack's voice said to her in her ear.

"Jack, this one is stronger; I guess it must have been the last one to drain my energy. What is your ETA to the scene?" she asked.

"Truthfully, about three minutes." He said, Gwen was shocked, it was about 20 minutes from the hub and he left five minutes ago. "I broke a few speeding laws, am sure that the government wouldn't mind!" he said and she smiled a little. She felt something, she was happy; she knew that this meant that he was close. "Jack, stop the car, you're close!" she said to him. Jack did what she said as she could hear him getting the equipment. "It's about 500 meters to the right of you." She said. She had no idea how she knew this, but somehow, the link was working for her. Ten minutes of silence passed and then she heard a gun shot and assumed that it was over.

Owen was looking at Gwen's blood. It was better, but then what was she coughing up? He took a sample off the floor, knowing that he may be lucky or not to find anything. He blinked, he wasn't sure if he was seeing correctly. The blood that she had coughed up had the alien cell in it. Somehow, the medicine was separating the bad cells and she was being sick to get them out of her system, but why did she pass out.

"The second link." She heard Gwen say. Owen turned and saw her standing behind him. "I can feel them, in the comets, the ones we have here. They scream to me, telling me to release them from the prison. The ones in space, all they want is freedom. She moved towards him. "They are getting hard to resist Owen, I must have that key." She said, Owen realised she was being controlled by them, they were speaking through her.

"Gwen, this isn't you, you know what those things did to innocent people. They must be stopped." Owen said as he held her and shook her. "You need to take control of it, stop listening to them…" but he was cut short as she pushed him away. The door to Torchwood open and Ianto and Tosh walked in. They stop when they saw what was happening. Tosh knew where the medication was, including the sedatives and went to get one.

"Gwen stop this, break the link, you can do that, just tell them to stop…" Owen said

"No, they just want to be free, what are we doing to them is wrong." She said to him

"Gwen, they killed you, don't you remember that?" Owen said. Gwen looked at him, as if trying to remember who he was just as Tosh put the needle in her arm and pushed down the syringe. Owen caught Gwen just as she fell. "Thanks Tosh." He said. He picked her up and put her on the bed.

"We need to restrain her." Ianto said. Owen didn't want to, but knew that he was right. He got them out and restrained her arms and legs to the bed. He then put the IV back on and watched the medicine go into her body. "Jack is not going to like this." Owen said as he heard the SUV coming back.

Jack got out of the car and looked around the hub. The team came to meet him.

"Tosh, Ianto, get the comet out of there and lock it up." He said as he threw them the keys. He walked on to be stopped by Owen.

"Jack, the medicine is working; she was coughing up the alien cell, so I continued treatment." Owen said as he held Jack out of sight from Gwen.

"That's great, so why won't you let me go?" he asked as Owen held him tighter.

"We had to restrain Gwen; the second link is getting stronger. We are killing one, but at the same time, the other one is taking over. She is sedated and restrained to the bed. I am not taking off the restraints, if it wasn't for Tosh, I don't know what she would have done." Owen said. He let go of Jack and he rushed into the hospital room. Jack looked down at Gwen. He couldn't believe what she did to Owen, but he had no reason to lie. He heard Owen coming in.

"When will she wake up?" Jack asked.

"In a few minutes, it was a mild sedative, but it was enough." Owen said.

Gwen opened her eyes. She blinked and looked over at Jack. She moved her arms but she couldn't. She looked down and saw that she was restrained.

"I told you not to do anything stupid!" Jack said to her. She looked at him puzzled. She didn't know what he meant. "You don't remember?" Owen asked her.

"The last thing I remember was hearing the sound of Jack's gun on my communicator." She said. "Let me go, please." She said to Owen.

"Jack, if I take off her restrains, you are going to be the one to look after her, okay?" Owen said "I don't want to be blamed or held responsible for anything she does." Jack nodded and he removed the restraints. Gwen put her arms around Jack and he hugged her back. "You need to lock away the keys to the cupboard so that she doesn't get to the other comets, also when she does go into a trance again, just use one of these and she should be out for about 15 minutes." Owen said as he handed Jack some syringes. Jack nodded and put them in his pocket. Tosh came back and handed him the keys, which he automatically gave to Ianto. "Lock these away for the time being" he said to him. Ianto nodded and left the office to lock them away. He helped Gwen stand up. "How many left Owen until she can move around?" Jack asked.

"I think after this one more for now and then we can check the blood after a few hours." Owen said to him. Jack nodded and led Gwen to his office. She had to see the surveillance of the office to see what happened. He went to his computer and put it on the screens. Gwen watched as she saw the events unfold. She was shocked and wanted to go and apologise to Owen. She listened to the audio and understood why the keys needed to be kept away from her.

Jack watched the video with her, looking every now and again at her reaction. The link was working to their advantage, but also to the creatures' advantage as Gwen was in Torchwood. He needed it though, it was valuable in finding the last comet, just two more and then it should be broken. Jack changed the bag to the last one and Gwen watched the video. He reached into his pocket and felt the syringes in his hand. Once the video was over, Gwen turned to Jack.

"This has to stop, I can't use the link anymore, and I hurt Owen and am a danger to be here too close to the other comets." She said.

"No, you can't leave. I need you here." Jack said to her as he wrapped his arms around her. "We can't break the link, not until the last two are destroyed." He said.

"But the comets in the storage here, they need to be destroyed, maybe then I am less dangerous?" she asked.

"We need to keep one, just in case for the medication for you. But I am not sure about destroying them, I can take them to another Torchwood hub if its still there." He said as he went to his computer to check. He knew that the other Torchwood hub wasn't near here; this was Torchwood three, hub one was destroyed on the attack in London and as for hub two, well last time he heard it was close to being closed down. The only other thing he could do with them was to lock them in the underground basement. He hated that part ever since the cyber woman was found there. He had no choice; he had to hide them down there. He would get Ianto to do it, he was the one who put her there, and he deserved to be fired for that. Jack pushed that memory to the back of his head and looked at Gwen. She began coughing again and he reached over for a sick bowel just in time as she once again vomited the cells out of her body. Jack stroked her head as she continued to be sick. Once she was finished, she felt drained.

"I need to sleep Jack." She said looking at him.

"Not a good idea at the moment, anyway the medicine is nearly finished, and then I will take you out to get some air." He said to her as he removed the bowel. She smiled weakly and nodded. Jack went down to Owen who was in the medical room.

"Here, she has just been sick again. The IV has finished, go and remove it please." Jack said as he handed Owen the bowel.

"Thanks, what I always wanted!" Owen said as he put it down and left Jack. Jack went to Tosh who was looking for the comets.

"The one I found is still up there, so that means that one is missing." She said to Jack. He nodded.

"Thanks for sedating Gwen." He said and he left and went to the sofa.

Owen went into Jack's office and saw that the IV was finished. He walked up to Gwen and started to pull out the needle.

"Owen, I'm sorry, I would never hurt you on purpose. What I saw in the surveillance, that wasn't me." She said. Owen looked at her.

"I know Gwen; I could see that in the eyes. Its okay, it's not your fault that it happened." He said as he put a plaster on the IV site. "All done, just don't go too far!" he said and he left her. Jack came into the office and picked up his coat "Let's go then." He said as he handed her his hand. She put her hand in his and stood up, picking up her coat on the way out.

"Jack, not too far and long. Stay in contact and I need her back in four hours!" Owen shouted at him as they left the hub.

"Sure thing boss!" Jack replied sarcastically and they left.

Gwen smiled as she felt the air hit her face. It was only yesterday that she was out, but under the circumstances of the comet. She looked up at the sky and smiled. It was just the beginning of the sunrise. Jack came up behind her and took her hand, leading her up to the roof. Once there, he took her in his arms and kissed her as passionately as he did in the hospital room. Gwen allowed herself to relax and melt away in the kiss while Jack probed deeper into the kiss. After a few minutes, Gwen pulled away and turned in Jack's arms to watch the sunrise. She felt the warmth of the morning sun on her face and had never felt so alive. As she looked up at the dark part of the sky, she saw a star shooting across. Making a wish with her eyes closed, when she re-opened them, she looked up at Jack. He was watching the sunrise too. His grip tightened around her and he smiled. Gwen looked and saw something else going across the sky, she knew what it was before it hit the ground. Her eyes closed and she could see it crashing. She looked at Jack, she really didn't want to spoil this moment _then don't; just stay there, everything's fine_ she heard a voice in her head say. She wanted to obey, but another part was shouting at her. She looked up at Jack. She had never been happier with someone, and she knew that he would like to know.

"Jack, we have to go, its here." She said. He looked at her.

"Just a few more minutes with you here." He said as he pulled her closer and kissed her yet again.

They both came down from the roof after ten minutes. They went into the hub, gathered the equipment quickly and went to the crash site. Gwen could sense when they were close to the crash, so there was no need for coords. Once they were there, Gwen decided to lock herself in the SUV just in case and she watched Jack going down to the comet. After about fifteen minutes, he came back and she could see the rock. It was the biggest one they had collected so far. As soon as it was in the SUV, the voices started to take control in her head again. Gwen turned on her communicator and started to have a conversation with Owen, anything to not let the creature take control.

"Owen, it's going to happen again." She said as soon as he answered.

"Well, there are two options, fight the link or for Jack to give you a sedative now!" Owen said to Gwen, she winced at the sound of the second option. The voices were trying to push their way forward, wanting to take control. Gwen closed her eyes and let out a slight moan.

"Gwen, if you can't fight them, Jack has to give you the shot!" she heard Owen saying. Tears fell down her cheeks, she didn't want to. Jack turned and looked at her.

"Owen, no, please I can fight it." She said whimpering. Jack looked at her, pressing on his communicator to hear the conversation.

"Gwen, you need to have it, otherwise it will happen again!" Jack heard Owen say. He looked at Gwen; she closed her eyes and let out a louder moan.

"No, I can't let them control me like this!" she shouted. Jack stopped the SUV at this point and reached into his pocket. Gwen opened her eyes.

"Jack, please I need to fight this." She said as she looked pleadingly at him as she saw him get out the syringe. She closed her eyes again and let out another moan, they were really hurting her.

"Jack, she can't fight it, even if she does succeed, she is going to be weak, just sedate her." Owen said over the communicator. Jack looked at Gwen once more and saw that she was relaxing.

"It's okay, they stopped, just drive Jack." She said as she looked at him. Jack could see that she was drained and tired. He put the syringe on the side and started the engine, driving back to the hub as fast as he could.

Once the SUV stopped at the hub, Gwen ran out of the car as quickly as she could. She needed to get away from them, just run as far as she could. She could hear Jack calling her name as tears ran down her cheek. She was a danger to herself and to Torchwood, she had to run. Her communicator beeped in her ear, she ignored it and kept running. She had no idea where she was going; she just wanted to go as far as she could. Her lungs started to burn as she ran, knowing that she was pushing herself beyond her normal level of fitness, but she didn't care, she just kept running. She could hear Jack closing in on her, but she didn't care. She ran into the forest of the first crash site and fell to the ground. Jack came a few minutes later and saw her crying. She was on the exact spot where the first comet had crashed. He looked at her and felt his heart cry out. He went to her and took her in his arms.

"I have to leave Jack, I can't be here anymore. I am better off being dead!" she said in between sobs.

"No Gwen, don't say that! I need you, without you I'm empty. You fill the void that no one else could." Jack said to her, trying to calm her down as her sobs intensified.

"I can't Jack; I am a danger to you and the team being here." She said as she tried to push him away. Jack tightened his grip on her.

"Gwen, don't you understand, I love you. I have never loved anyone before. This scares me and to lose you, I would be nothing!" he said to her as he forced her to look at him.

"I am not strong enough Jack." She said to him as she looked into his eyes. Jack pushed his lips against her, kissing her, hoping to take away her fears. Her sobs became less and less as the kiss grew stronger. Jack heard his communicator beeping in his ear and he turned it off, allowing Gwen to relax in the kiss, watch as her worries melted away. He pulled away and smiled to her.

"You know, that wasn't really the way I wanted to tell you that I love you and for you not to say that in return…" he was cut off as Gwen forced a passionate kiss on him. No one had ever kissed him with such intensified passion that he was shocked. Jack let out a small moan as Gwen pushed her tongue deeper into his mouth, probing him with it and teasing him. She pulled away slowly, leaving Jack in a trance. She moved her head to his ear and whispered "I love you too" to him and rested her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

Jack was stunned by the passion that he had just felt from another person. He looked down at her in his arms. She was completely destroyed from recent events that had happened. His communicator beeped in his ear again and he answered it.

"The comet is locked away and I need Gwen for the blood samples. Where are you?" Owen asked him.

"I found Gwen, we should be back at the hub in thirty minutes, walking is a lot slower than running!" he said as he pushed the button on his communicator, ending he call. He stroked Gwen's hair and she looked up at him.

"Time to go back." He said and she nodded as he stood up. Jack helped her stand up and they walked back to the hub.

The doors opened and Jack and Gwen walked in. Owen went up to them and took Gwen tightly by the arm.

"Owen, you're hurting me, let go please" she said as he pulled her to the medical room.

"What do you think you were doing?" he asked her "You were risking Jack's and your own life by trying to fight that link!" he said as he let go of her.

"I was able to stop it Owen, isn't it better for me to be able to stop the link rather than pumping more drugs in me. Don't you think that I have been through enough?" Gwen yelled at him as he got the tray that was already prepared to do the blood samples. Gwen rolled up her sleeve and sat down. Owen found a vein and pushed the needle in harder than normal. "Ow, do you mind not butchering my arm in the process!" Gwen said to him as he took the vials and removed the needle. "Just because you are pissed at me for doing something for myself for once. Jack wasn't in any danger, do you really think that I would let something happen to him after all that he has done for me and also all the stuff that he is doing for me!" she said to him. Owen put a plaster on her arm and she rolled down her sleeve.

"This link is dangerous Gwen, no matter what Jack thinks it needs to be destroyed." He said as he took the vials to the microscope.

"Well, unless you can destroy those comets in the basement of the office and also the one in space…" she started to say.

"How did you know that they are in the basement?" Owen turned and asked her.

"I can sense them; hear their whispers in the back of my head. They are waiting for the last one. It's coming, soon it will be here and then…" Gwen shook her head, pushing the voices back. They were annoying her. She looked at Owen and saw how scared he was.

"You should be completely sedated until this is all over!" he said to her. Gwen looked at him and walked away.

Jack had heard the whole thing from the side. The comment that Owen had made was running in his head _you should be completely sedated until this is all over! _That was what he said. He went into his office just before Gwen had left the medical area. She was now at her computer, head in her hands. Jack could see that she was suffering. Jack called up the images from NASA and saw that the last one was still in space, but he was not sure how long it would take until it entered the Earth's atmosphere, maybe a day, maybe longer, but he really hoped that it was soon so that this nightmare for Gwen would be over. He could see her shoulders moving up and down, and could tell that she was crying. She was at wits end and she didn't know what to do and Jack couldn't blame her. He wanted to hurt Owen for suggesting something like that, but he had a point, the link was dangerous, but they needed it. He looked back at Gwen and saw that she had calmed down and was typing up the report. He hated that she had to do it, considering that she was not there. He heard a knock on the door and saw Owen standing there. He signaled for him to come in.

"Her blood is back to normal, so you can do whatever other tests you need." Owen said to Jack as he sat down at the conference table. "But Jack, this other link it's getting dangerous. She should be…"

"Completely sedated until this is over." Jack said repeating Owens' words that he heard. "I know what you said to her, but I make the choices for the good of the team. We need that link to know where this last comet is going to hit. We destroy all of them now that we know that she is better." Jack said to him.

"She knows where you hid them; she says that she can hear them calling her. Jack, as soon as she closes her eyes, we can't stop them from controlling her." Owen said standing up and walking towards him. "No matter what your feelings for her are Jack, you can not let them interfere with the mission. She needs to be put to sleep." Jack looked at Owen straight in the eye.

"No, I need this link, without it we don't know when the last one will come. The images only show us so much. I am not going to let you sedate her Owen, and that is my final word!" Jack said to him. Owen starred at Jack for a bit longer before walking out of the office.

Gwen looked at her computer screen through her tear stained eyes, trying to write a report for something that she wasn't there for. She accessed the old report and thought that not only was it easier but wiser to copy and paste the same report into today's, and that was just what she did. She knew that Jack wouldn't mind this once, and anyway, all of the comets had been the same except for the size. She starred at her computer screen thinking about them. The voices grew inside her head, but she had to resist them. Gwen wanted to sleep, but was scared that closing her eyes and the link being the way that it was at the moment, it would be more of a danger especially being in the hub. She decided to go where she always went when she wanted to be alone. Grabbing her communicator and her keys, she left the hub and got into her car and drove.

After twenty minutes of driving, she got out and began to walk the short way to her favorite place in the world. She remembered how she came across this place, when she was a child. She was so hypnotized by the sound of the water and also the silence that she didn't want to leave. She walked up to the river bed, and sat down. Here, she knew that she couldn't do anything to hurt anyone, so she closed her eyes and let the voices in her head grow louder. _You can't control us for much longer, the next one is the big one!_ She heard in her head. _And once this is here, we are going to take control of your planet! _It continued to say. _No, we killed you, we saw you disintegrate as you came out of the comets!_ Gwen replied in her head. She could hear a shrill laugh from the creature as it engulfed her. _Do you really think that will stop us? As long as one of us is alive, we will never die!_ It said to her. She had heard enough and tired to push the creature's thoughts to the back of her mind. She opened her eyes and looked at the river. She could hear her communicator beeping, but she didn't want to talk to them, she didn't know why she bought it in the first place so she took it out and laid it down beside her. She knew Jack's orders; she wasn't supposed to be left alone.

Her thoughts went back to Rhys. She knew then that she couldn't stay in her apartment anymore, she needed a new one as the memories were too painful for her to contain with. Her thoughts then turned to Jack, and him telling her that he loved her. She had never been with anyone and felt so much passion burning inside of her in her life. When he kissed her, it was as if she had never been kissed properly in her life. Just thinking about Jack made her feel like she could melt. The flowing river bought her back from her thoughts as she looked at her communicator. She saw it flashing and knew that they were trying to find her, but as the other comet hadn't landed yet, she knew that there was no immediate danger. She was also sure that Jack would have some other way of finding her if the problem was urgent. She was never surprised at what he could do. With all of the alien technology that they had in the hub, she knew that he was capable of doing a lot of things.

Watching the river flow, she hoped that it could take her problems with her. She let out a loud sigh and allowed her thoughts to go back over the past few days. She remembered Jack telling her about the incident after wiping her memory. When he told her about it, she sat there in shock, not knowing how to handle any of the information. The events that followed; more comets landing and the link that had been built between the creature and her thanks to Jack bringing her back to life. _If Jack didn't bring me back, I wouldn't have this problem, but then again I would be dead! _She thought to herself. She had no idea how long she was dead, and Jack wouldn't tell her, but she knew what was there waiting for her; nothing. She remembered his words, that she felt empty, like a shell. She shuddered at the thought of someone being empty. She then learnt about life energy, the thing that kept things alive.

Her thoughts went back to Jack, the sacrifices that he made for her to keep her alive, the feelings and also the problems that she has caused him due to the link. She stood up and looked at the communicator flashing. She picked it up and looked at the river. She wanted to get rid of it, to get away from Torchwood, just until the link was gone. She looked at the river, the water was clean here. She felt the tears fall down her cheek as she held the communicator in her hand. She looked at it; it was her line to Torchwood, to Jack. She closed her eyes and sighed. She listened to the whispering voices of the creatures in the back of her head. She put the communicator in her ear and answered it.

"What do you think you are doing? Where the hell are you?" she could hear Jack shouting. She heard him take a deep breath before speaking again. "You know that you are not supposed to be out of the hub, not alone." He said as his voice lowered. "I need you here so that I can keep an eye on you." He said, she rolled her eyes, she hated to feel trapped but she knew that he was right, she couldn't always control the link and if they took control, she had no idea what they were capable of. She stood in a trance, looking at the river. "Gwen, answer me!" she could hear Jack, but as she tried to speak, she couldn't. The tears were flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks as she tried to think of what to say to him. Should she tell him where she was? Tell him about the creature's thoughts? Or to tell him that she wished that he never bought her back to life? She knew she told him that she wanted to die, but to regret being alive? She crashed to the ground; she didn't know what to say to Jack. "Gwen, come on, tell me that it's really you." She heard him say. She could tell that he was scared. This was something that he couldn't control and it scared him. "Please, Gwen, just say something, anything so that I know." She could hear him say.

"I just need to be alone." She said as she pressed the button on her communicator turning it off.

She didn't know why she was crying, it was something that she needed to do. The last few days had been filled with so many bad things, but also the good thing, her and Jack however the thought of that could not stop her from crying. For the first time in several days she felt alone and empty. She knew she had to go back to the hub; she couldn't avoid that no matter how much she tried she was only running away and making the situation worse. As the sun set, she started to get cold. Wrapping her arms around herself, she knew that it was time for her to go back to the hub before Jack sent a search party after her. She stood up and went back to her car; she got in and drove back to the hub, hoping that by the time she got there, the tears would stop flowing down her cheeks.

Jack was pacing up and down in his office. He had no way of finding or tracking Gwen and he was starting to get worried sick as she had been gone for so long. He heard the doors of the hub open and saw her walking in. He ran out of his office and took her in his arms. Gwen, a bit surprised by this reaction put her arms around him after a few seconds. She was expecting him to yell at her, not to hug her. Jack pulled away and checked her over.

"I'm fine Jack; I just needed to get away." She said as she watched him. He looked into her eyes and he could see that she was still suffering. Jack took her back into his arms and held her as tightly as he could.

"If I could take it from you Gwen, I would." He whispered in her ear and kissed her on the head. Gwen pulled away and went to her desk.

The hub was empty as there was no reason for the team to be here as the comet was still in space. Gwen wanted to leave and go back to her apartment, but she still wasn't ready for that. She saw Jack coming up to her. He stood before her and reached out his hand. "Come on Gwen, you need to face them." He said.

"No, I can't." She said to him, turning away and looking at her computer. Jack crouched down beside her.

"It scares me, to see someone as strong as you admit defeat. I think that you need to do this." He said to her. Gwen let out a loud sigh.

"When they take over, I can't control them. They push me to the back of my mind, locking me away and I fight so hard to take back the control but they are too strong, there are too many of them talking, whispering, saying things that I don't understand. Do you know what it is like Jack, to have someone take control of your mind, take control of your thoughts and actions? I have memories that are blank because of them and I won't let them do it. I can't!" she said as the tears began to flow again. Jack wrapped his arms around her neck.

"No, I don't know as each Torchwood leader is trained to stop things from getting into our minds and reading our thoughts. But you Gwen, you have this link and we should use it to get as much information about them as we can." He said as he wiped away her tears. She didn't know what to say, she didn't want to go down there and see all of the comets together. If she did, she would have no control over them, being so close to their prisons. She nodded, one way or another, Jack would take her there, better to go willingly than by force. Jack stood up and took her hand and led her down to the basement.

The last time she was down here was when the cyber woman was here. She hated it. The voices grew louder, getting excited. She shook her head, trying to push them back, but she wasn't sure how long it would last. Jack led her towards the door. She looked through the porthole and saw them, all six of them in the room in separate containers. They went in and she saw that there was a chair with restraints. She looked at Jack.

"You planned this?" she asked, he nodded.

"Gwen, trust me. I need you to sit down and I am going to restrain you. As soon as I see that you are back to normal, I swear that I will let you out. I need to talk to them, to find out more about them." Jack explained as she sat down. Jack put on the restraints as tightly as he could, but not so tight to cause her pain. Once he was done, he looked at Gwen in the eyes and saw that she was fighting the battle. He kissed her hard on the lips.

"I am always going to be here," he whispered "if you hurt her in any way, I swear that it will be the last thing that you do on this planet!" he continued to say as she let out a loud moan and let her head fall forward.

"And how would you know that?" the creature responded as Gwen lifted her head. Jack could see that her eyes had rolled back into her head.

"Because I can do things to you that would make you wish that you never took over her body. Now tell me, who are you?" Jack said.

"We are the only ones of our kind. Our creator didn't like us, so he banished us to space."

"You absorb life energy and kill living things. No wonder why you were banished! But why didn't your creator die?"

"We couldn't kill him, he bought us to life, so we gave him the same gift back only for him to banish us!" the creature said in anger. "We floated in space, hungry and all the time getting smaller. The mineral stopped us from absorbing, but you already know that as you have treated this thing." The creature said in disgust. "The crash on your planet helped weaken the prison walls, allowing us to get out. But the atmosphere meant that we could not assume our real forms. When we saw her and absorbed her energy, you bought her back to life, something that no one has done creating the link." It said as it looked hungrily at Jack. Jack smiled his ever charming smile.

"Think about it, and I swear I can come up with many ways to make you wish that you stayed in those things!" he said pointing to the comets.

"What will you do, you love her? It was luck for us that she was the one chosen. You wouldn't do anything to see her in pain like this would you?" the creature asked him as Gwen let out a scream. Her eyes returned to normal and she looked at Jack.

"Please, don't make them angry!" she said breathing rapidly as she screamed again and the creature took control yet again. It laughed and Jack looked at it. He couldn't do anything while it was still in Gwen's mind.

"Where are you from, what have you called yourself?" He said with his back turned.

"We are from a galaxy about two light years away. We called ourselves the Enshi. We will talk again." The creature said as Gwen's eyes began to close. Jack let out a huge breath.

Gwen woke up, her head was hurting. The voices of the creature were quiet. She looked at Jack who was looking at the comets.

"Jack, let me go." She said to him. He looked up as if coming out of a deep thought and walked over to her.

"I'm sorry Gwen." He said as he undid the restraints. "I shouldn't have done this to you." He said as he took her in his arms.

"Did anything happen?" she asked him as he carried her to his room. She could walk, but she wanted to feel close to Jack.

"Yes, it did help." He said as he laid her on the bed. Sleep started to take over her body and Jack could see it. He took off her shoes and then lay down next to her. "But now, you need to sleep. You shouldn't have any bad dreams tonight." He said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Gwen felt her eyelids get heavy and for the first time in a long time, she fell into a deep sleep. Jack lay awake with her in his arms. He wasn't going to lose her. He stroked her head and looked down at her; he kissed her lightly on the lips and pushed her over onto the pillow, turned off the lights and closed his eyes to think.

Jack awoke and saw Gwen still sleeping, hugging him. He started to sit up, trying not to stir Gwen. He fell asleep, he rarely slept, in fact he never slept, there was no need for him, but with the fear for Gwen and also giving his life energy, heck even he needed sleep sometime. He looked at her; she was sleeping like an angel. He bent down and kissed her on the lips. Gwen let out a soft moan as she was still sleepy and started to respond slightly to the kiss. Jack realised this as he moved her into his arms and started to allow his tongue to probe Gwen's mouth. Gwen starts to wake up more as she felt Jack beginning to grow against her. She started to undo his shirt and she felt his chest. His body felt amazing as she pushed off his shirt. Jack put his hand up her t-shirt and put his hand on the small of her back, pushing her closer to him. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. He wanted to take her t-shirt off, to see her body, but they were interrupted by the sound of the hub door opening. Jack pulled away and sighed.

"To be continued I hope my little kitten very soon." He said to her as she looked at him disappointed. He pulled her into his arms again and kissed her as she let out a moan. Jack pulled back, leaving Gwen in a trance.

Gwen lay on the bed as Jack went to have a shower. She hated the fact that they could in a way never be alone. She heard a knock at the door and went to answer it.

"Gwen, I was looking for Jack." She saw Ianto at the door.

"He is having a shower." She said. Ianto looked at her, she was still dressed. Jealousy ran through his body, but he had to remember what Jack said to him. He nodded and left. Gwen closed the door and went back to the bed. She heard the water stop and knew that Jack had finished. He came out with a towel wrapped around him and Gwen could see his chest. Jack looked up at her and smiled.

"You know that it's not fair that you have more clothes on than me!" He said as he walked over to her and took her in his arms. She could smell the soap from his body and also see the water dripping from his hair. She ran her hands through his hair and kissed him.

"You know that can be solved." She whispered in his ear as she began to kiss her neck. Jack let out a small moan and she could tell that he wanted her. She then remembered that there were people in the hub above them and she pulled away. Jack pulled her back towards him as he started to nibble on her ear.

"Don't start what you don't intend on finishing." He said in her ear and he began to kiss her neck. Gwen closed her eyes, allowing Jack to do this. She quickly snapped back to reality when she remembered again that people were in the hub.

"Ianto came looking for you." She said as she pulled away. Jack let out a loud sigh. He was hoping that he would have left them alone, but he knew it would take him some time until he got used to the idea. Gwen had her back to Jack, she wanted him so badly, but yet again, she would have to wait. The feelings boiled inside her, making her want to jump on Jack, forget about the fact that someone else was here. Jack came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his arm and he held her tight.

"Soon kitten, I promise!" he said as he kissed her head. She nodded and went out of the room, allowing him to get dressed.

She sat in his office at his computer. She heard the door open and saw him coming out of the room. He looked up and saw her at his computer and smiled. He reached out to her and took her hand. She took it and Jack lead her out to get some coffee. Ianto was making them a fresh pot. As soon as they got there, they said thanks and went to the sofa. The rest of the team entered the hub just as the three of them had settled and finished the coffee.

"I will make a new one then." Ianto said as he stood up and Owen and Tosh joined them on the sofa.

"So, I bought bagels for everyone just in case and here is hoping that today we have a quiet day for once!" Owen said as he handed out the bags. Gwen looked and smiled, Owen still remembered what she liked for breakfast. He knew the order as he did it many times for the hub. They ate their breakfast and talked at the same time, the whole team actually enjoying each others company without any alcohol involved. Gwen was sitting there quietly and she could hear the whispers in her head. They were calling to her, asking for her help. She closed her eyes and tried to block them out.

"Are you okay?" Jack whispered in her ear as he put his arms around her. She opened her eyes and looked at Jack and smiled.

"I'm fine." She said as she looked at him. Jack's grip on her grew tighter as they returned to the conversation. Gwen tried to relax in Jack's embrace trying to ignore the whispering voices in the back of her head.

The day went on; Gwen left the images of the comet on her computer. She wanted to know when this nightmare would be over. She wondered if Jack would still be with her after all of this. She shook that thought from her head as it was stupid. Her phone vibrated on her desk. She saw that she had a message from Rhys. She hadn't spoken to him since the fight and he wanted to see her. _If the comet is in space, I am sure that Jack wouldn't mind!_ She thought to herself. She sent him a reply, saying to meet at the coffee place that they liked. She locked her computer, picked up her communicator, keys and purse and walked out of the hub, shouting at Owen that she would be in reach if they needed her. She looked up at Jack's office quickly and saw him leave it to chase after her. She waited at the door so that he didn't have far to go. When the door re-opened, it was him.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"Look, the comet is still in space and not going anywhere, I just need to do some things okay." She said, she wasn't sure if she should tell him that she was meeting Rhys or not. Jack looked at her and nodded.

"Stay in contact at all times. And please, be careful and as soon as you think… no, I should go with you!" he said, she took a deep breath.

"Jack, I am going to see Rhys, I don't think that is a good idea, remember the last time you met him you took me away from dinner. He doesn't like you. I don't think that I am ready to tell him about us either." She said. "Listen, I have my communicator, as soon as anything and I mean anything happens, I will call you and you can come and get me okay?" she said as she wrapped her arms around him. "Please Jack; you have to trust me this time." She knew that it was going to be hard for him. He kissed her on the lips hard. She responded to the kiss and allowed herself to melt once again in his arms. Jack pulled away and looked at her.

"Okay, but I want you back here soon. I need you here." He said as he let go of her. Gwen nodded and walked out of the hub, leaving Jack to watch her as she left.

The drive to the coffee place wasn't too far. Her communicator was active and Jack had her number, as always so she knew that he could get hold of her. She found a parking space and sat in the car. She listened to the whispering at the back of her head, she hoped that nothing would happen. She got out and walked the short distance to the coffee place and saw Rhys sitting outside waiting for her. When he saw her he smiled and stood up to greet her.

"You look tired Gwen." He said as she sat down.

"Work has been busy at the moment, haven't had much time to sleep" she said to him. She ordered her coffee and something to eat and they sat there. "I saw you took some things out of the apartment." she said as her coffee and cake arrived. She looked at it, suddenly not hungry for it anymore and she pushed it away. Rhys looked at her; this was something that she normally wouldn't do.

"Gwen is everything alright?" he said. She looked up and smiled.

"Just not hungry after all!" she said as she gave him the cake. Rhys looked at her and saw her communicator.

"So you always on call at the moment?" he asked as he pointed to her ear. She reached up and touched it.

"I have to be at the moment, we are waiting for something to happen." She said to him as she drank some of her coffee. She wasn't going to tell him about her and Jack, it was too soon. The whispering in her head grew a bit louder and she closed her eyes and let out a slight moan, trying to push them back some more. Rhys saw this and went next to her.

"Gwen, what's wrong?" he asked. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Nothing, I'm fine, stop worrying about me!" she said and he sat back down, surprised by her outburst.

"I have moved into my own place Gwen, this was why I wanted to see you. I also wanted to give our notice on the apartment. I just wanted to make sure that you had somewhere to go before I did anything." He asked her. Gwen looked at him. She was surprised that he had moved so quickly. She knew something, that there was more.

"Who is she?" she asked. Rhys looked at her surprised. "I mean I know you, there has to be someone for you to do something so fast. How long were you cheating on me?" she asked him. He couldn't hide it any longer.

"Since the night I met your boss. I saw the way he looked at you, and you just went off and followed him…"

"He needed my help Rhys that is part of my job being on call!" she said to him, he held his hand up, not wanting to hear her explanation.

"I met her in a singles bar that night after you left me. We hit it off instantly, and since you were always busy at work, you never knew." He said, she wanted to hit him so hard but then she remembered what she did with Owen, she told Rhys about that, but drugged him so that he didn't remember.

She looked at her coffee and wished more than anything that Jack would call her.

"I am glad that you are happy." She said as she smiled at him. "I will be able to stay somewhere so go ahead and do it." She said to him. She then knew that she had to start looking for a place of her own. Rhys couldn't feel anything but guilt.

"Gwen, I'm sorry, but I can't afford two places." He said and she nodded.

"I understand Rhys. I will be fine, don't worry about me!" She said as she looked up and saw Jack coming. She knew that he was nearby; he never left her alone apart from that one time when she ran off. Gwen saw him coming to her and wondered how he knew where she was. She reached up and took out her communicator and saw that it was on the whole time _but I never pressed the button, unless Jack triggered it in the hub when we were hugging…_ Jack came up to Gwen and she stood up to confront him. This wasn't possible as Jack took Gwen in his arms and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"What do you think you are playing at?" she whispered in Jack's ear.

"I am not going to let him hurt you Gwen, you mean everything to me." He said as he turned to Rhys. "Hi, I'm Captain Jack Harkness." He said as he held out his hand to Rhys. He looked at them shocked.

"How long has…" Rhys couldn't finish his sentence; he was still in shock to see that Gwen had moved on too.

"A few days now Rhys, after we broke up." Gwen emphasized. Jack wrapped his arm around her waist. Rhys shook his hand and they all sat down.

"So you're the big man of the special ops crew." Rhys asked him.

"Correct, but now, I'm afraid I am going to have to break up this little party as I need Gwen back at the hub. The images have changed." He said to her. She nodded and the voices in her head grew louder. They knew it was coming; it should only be a matter of a few hours. "It was so nice to meet you and let me say that I will take great care of her, maybe even better than you!" Jack said to Rhys as he stood up to leave. Jack walked off a bit to give them some time alone.

"I guess that this is goodbye then. Let me apologize for Jack, he has been extremely concerned about me lately." Rhys nodded. She stood there awkwardly, wondering if she should hug him.

"Gwen, we need to go." She heard Jack calling her. Gwen let out a sigh.

"In a second Jack, we still have some time." She said and Rhys looked at her strangely.

"How do you know that, he is your boss, if he says you need to go, and then you better go?" He said as she stood up. Gwen wanted to explain, but she knew that she couldn't tell him about what she did.

"Jack, I will see you back at the hub, I have my car." She said to him. Jack didn't want to leave her. "Please Jack, we still have time." She said. Jack said something in his communicator to her and she nodded as he left them. Gwen knew she had to go soon. She looked at a shocked Rhys.

"I see you have him under control." He said and she shook her head.

"He knows that I need this Rhys, closure from you so that I can continue. He left us alone, but if I don't leave in the next five minutes, he will be back. I know Jack." She said to him. "So I hope that you are happy, and I guess that I will move out my stuff this week." Gwen said as she walked off.

"Gwen!" she heard Rhys say as she turned around "I'm sorry." He said, she nodded and went to her car and cried over Rhys for the last time.

She drove back to the base and saw that Jack was already there. She wanted to yell at him, tell him that he had no right to do what he did, but she knew that with him being there it was better for her. She found out the truth, he cheated on her and she did on him, but he hid it, but she also made him forget that she told him. Who was the better person? She stopped her relationship with Owen; it was only a physical one, nothing more. With Jack, he knew her live and he was part of it if only small to begin with, but now, he wanted to be a bigger part in it and she wanted that so badly. She saw that the rest of the team was in the conference room, waiting for her to join them. She closed her eyes and listened to the whispering voices of the creatures in the back of her head. She could hear the footsteps of someone approaching; she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Gwen, come on, we need to see how we are going to deal with this last one. After this, it should be over and then we can concentrate on us." She heard Jack say. All of her anger for him went away as he took her in his arms. Gwen tried to open her eyes but she couldn't she was hypnotized by the voices. She felt someone shake her. "Gwen, snap out of it." Jack said to her, she tried to force her eyes to open again, fighting the battle for control and after a few more seconds, she was able to succeed. She looked at Jack as he let out a sigh of relive.

"It's near, I thought we had longer but I was wrong. The link is pulling it towards me Jack; I can hear them, happy, talking, knowing that soon they will all be together. They want control over me more than ever at the moment." She said to him. He held Gwen in his arms, wishing for this to be over and led her to the conference room.

"Okay, so we know that the comet is going to hit soon, we need to know where and how long we have." Jack said to the team as Gwen sat down. "Tosh, any luck on the satellite images?" he asked.

"Nothing Jack, all I know is that I guess it is entering the Earth's orbit, in which case, we have something like two hours to get a location on it before impact." Owen was looking at Gwen who was in some sort of a trance.

"Jack, are you sure it's wise for her to be awake at this point?" he asked. Jack went over to Gwen and shook her.

"Gwen, come on, stay with us for a bit longer!" he said. She blinked rapidly before looking up at Jack. She looked at him and nodded. "Right, I don't know about all of you, but I can't sit here and wait, we need to deal with this now. Owen, the other comets, how are they coming along?"

"As long as Gwen's blood is fine, we can disintegrate them in the furnace." He said.

"No!" Gwen shouted out in a voice that wasn't her own. She screamed as the voices grew louder at hearing this. She put her hands to her head and pushed them back as far as she could. Owen reached into his pocket; he already had a sedative in his hand. Jack put his hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. "Let her do this Owen, we need her awake now and if you give her that, she is out and we have no way of finding it." He said as he went over to Gwen. "I know you can hear me Enshi, leave her alone or I swear that when we find the last one of you, not only will we destroy your entire existence, but I will make sure that this link will never be used again." Jack whispered into her ear. She let out another scream and passed out.

Jack caught her before she fell off the chair. "Shit!" Jack swore as he carried Gwen to his room and laid her on his bed. "Gwen, fight it, wake up please!" he said in her ear. She moaned but didn't open her eyes. Jack sighed; he had to leave her in here and hoped that it would be her when she wakes up. Jack locked the door and went back to the team in the conference room.

"Owen, we need to wake her up, I don't care about how dangerous the link is at the moment, we need her." Jack said to him.

"If she has just passed out, she should wake up normally." Owen said, Jack sighed.

"I don't think that this was normal. It's trying to take her and I can't lose her, do you understand me?" Jack said. Owen looked into his eyes and saw the burning and pain in them. He nodded and went to the medical bay to see if he could find something. Jack looked at Tosh and Ianto.

"Tosh, any idea about the comet, how can we find it?" Jack asked and Tosh shrugged.

"I'm sorry Jack, if it is in the Earth's atmosphere; there is no way for me to track it. I can't believe I am going to say this, but we need the link to find it. We need Gwen to wake up." Tosh said as she looked at her laptop. Owen came back into the room with a syringe. Jack looked at it questionably.

"This will wake her." He said as he handed Jack the syringe. Jack looked at Owen and then at the syringe. "Yes, we have this stuff in the hub; I try and make sure that we have every medical supply on hand in case of… well anything." Owen said as he sat back down.

"How long will it take to wake her up?" Jack asked.

"A minute or so, it doesn't take long." Owen said. Jack nodded and went into the room he had left Gwen.

She was still asleep, Jack was not sure if it would be her or the creature which will come but it was a risk that he had to take. Jack took the cap off the needle, wiped a site on Gwen's arm and put in the needle, pushing down on the plunger allowing the medicine to enter her body. Jack waited for the medicine to take effect and saw Gwen starting to open her eyes. Jack took her in his arms and looked at her.

"Gwen?" he asked, he wasn't sure who would come. Her eyes fully opened and he could see that it was her. Relief washed over his face as he helped her stand up. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"My head really hurts and I don't know how much longer I can fight it Jack, it is as if they are breaking my will and they keep saying something about me being the key to this." She said as she sat up. "I shouldn't be awake, Owen is right I shouldn't be awake for this." She said and Jack stood up.

"I can't put you to sleep Gwen; we need to find this comet before the creature hurts innocent people. We need to get to it before it lands; we need to use the link to draw it to us." Jack said. He couldn't look Gwen in the eyes as he said this, it was hard for him. Gwen sighed and went up to Jack.

"Okay, let's go then." She said. Jack took Gwen back to the conference room.

"Okay, Owen, Gwen and Tosh, you are all with me. Get the knapsacks, check out a gun and also get a contamination box to put this thing in. We are going out for a drive, to draw it to Gwen." He said. They moved into action and soon were in the SUV.

It was getting dark and the field was scary with the ground mist approaching. Gwen looked around; the other team members were watching her from a distance as she needed to bring the creatures out. She put her communicator on and closed her eyes.

"If anything happens to me or them…" she said as they began to take over. Jack wanted to rush in and get her, but he had to fight the urge to do anything. He could hear the alien talking in the communicator, wondering what it was doing here. Jack looked up at the sky and saw the comet flying towards them. He was started to get doubts about this, but he knew he could not back down now, it was too late. He hoped that his plan would work as he was putting Gwen's life in danger for this, for the sake of the human race. Gwen wasn't herself at the moment and no matter how much he wanted to go to her and protect her, he had to let her do this. The comet landed about a mile away and Gwen moved towards it, all the time Jack could hear what the creature was saying in the communicator. Gwen stopped as she got to the comet and went and touched it. She smiled as she felt the creature's heartbeat inside of it. Jack wanted to pull her away and protect her; he was not sure what they were going to do. He heard a moan in the communicator and knew that Gwen was trying to take back control.

"Jack…" he heard her say, she collapsed in front of the comet as it began to open. The team ran in and Owen pulled Gwen away from it as the final creature came out. This time it was in a different form from the others and Jack assumed it was the leader.

"Give her to me." It said to Jack.

"She stays here Enshi. You can't have her." Jack said as he held the gun up at it. "This ends now!" he said and shot it. The bullet went through it and the Enshi laughed.

"That will not work on me, I have adapted thanks to that creature there." It said as it pointed to Gwen as the wound healed. "My brothers and sisters will be alive once again and we will destroy this planet." And then it evaporated into the air.

Jack went to Gwen, she was still out.

"Owen, how does it look?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Jack, she is in a coma, and I am not sure if or when she is going to wake up this time." Owen said as they looked down at Gwen. Jack swore in a language that Owen didn't understand and looked in the air. He could see the path that the monster was heading and hoped that Tosh had set up the machine in time.

"It's heading your way Tosh, a greenish vapor. I hope that this works." Jack said.

"I see it; machine is ready and active Jack. Powering up… and on." She said and Jack heard a buzzing noise. "We have it contained for now." Tosh said.

"Okay, we are on our way. Put it in the container, this one is different." Jack said as he picked up Gwen. "Owen, suit up and put the comet in the box, it goes with the others back to the hub." He said as he looked down to Gwen. "I am sorry my kitten. I didn't expect this. Let's get you in the hub." He said in her ear and kissed her head "Fight them; I know you can do it." And he carried her to the SUV.

Jack took Gwen to his room and allowed Owen to come in a check her over. The creature was contained in its vapor state in a containment area and Jack had no idea what to do with it. The comet was locked up with all of the others and left in the basement. Jack didn't care; all he cared about was Gwen. The days turned into a week, and Gwen showed no sign of waking up. Owen was getting worried and wanted to take her to a hospital, but Jack was against it, she was breathing by herself and everything seemed okay, she just wasn't awake. Jack and Ianto had moved Gwen's stuff for her and put it temporary in storage. He kept telling himself that she wasn't dead; she was just sleeping which was true. He saw Susie's stuff in boxes in the storage unit and the memories came flooding back on how Gwen had died that time. Rhys kept trying to contact Gwen, but Jack didn't want to call him, but he knew that he had to say something, so he sent a message from Gwen's phone saying that her stuff was out and that she was too busy at work.

Apart from moving Gwen's stuff, Jack rarely left Gwen's side. Once in a while, he went down to the creature and talked to it, trying to make some sense in what it was telling him as it spoke in riddles most of the time. The only time it made sense was when it demanded Gwen and every time, Jack said no. The creature stayed in the mist form, not returning to the form that they saw when it landed. Jack decided it was time to destroy the comets, so he sent both Tosh and Ianto with the comets to the furnace. The screams from the creature could be heard throughout the whole base as one by one its brothers and sisters burnt to death. Once it was over, there was nothing but silence. Jack stayed by Gwen's side the whole time, hoping that in doing this, she would wake up, but still she slept. Jack played music in his room, talked to her and told her stories about his past hoping that she would wake. Owen came in everyday and checked on her, and saw how drained and destroyed Jack was. Owen couldn't take it anymore and took Jack out of the hub. They stood on the roof, looking over the town.

"Jack, I am not sure how long she is going to be like this for, but you need to continue…" Owen began to say.

"She isn't dead Owen, so don't you dare talk like she is." Jack said to him. Owen nodded. Jack seemed to lock himself in there with her, blaming himself and sending the team out on the missions, but taking no interest about what was happening around him, just her.

"She wouldn't want you to stop your life for her Jack; we still have a mission to fulfill." Owen said to him, Jack sighed.

"Emptiness is all I can feel Owen, nothing else there. The other missions that you have had the past week were nothing without Gwen. The new alien technology that you have found hasn't excited me one bit. I look at her and she doesn't move, I talk to her, play music and hope that she will wake up, but still nothing. She lies there, unmoved, faced with god knows what in her head and what are we doing? Nothing, we destroyed the comets, she didn't wake up. If we kill this creature will she wake up? We don't know and I can't risk it." Jack said. "Tell me Owen, have you ever watched someone you love die right before your eyes and you could do nothing to save them?" Jack asked him, Owen, shook his head. "I've seen people who I thought I loved die before me, but the pain is nothing compared to this." Jack said to him as he walked off.

Back in the hub Jack was pissed off. He had enough of the riddles from the creature and went to it.

"Your family is destroyed and you are the only one left." Jack said to it, the creature let out a hissing sound.

"Do you have any idea what it is like to be the last of your kind?" the creature asked, Jack nodded.

"Do you have any idea what it is like not to know who or what you really are?" Jack asked it. The creature stayed silent and then it morphed. Before Jack stood the image of Gwen. He blinked to make sure. He wanted to let her out, but he knew it wasn't real.

"I am the last of my kind, release me." It said, Jack shook his head, he knew that it would be too dangerous.

"You would destroy the human race by killing them the most inhumane way anything could die, by absorbing their life energy. There is no way I am going to release a terror like that on this planet." Jack said to it.

"Then let me join my brothers and sisters in death." It said.

"What will happen to Gwen?" he asked.

"This human, you wouldn't want anything to hurt her would you?" the creature said to him.

"I can show you ways to torture beings like you that you have never seen before. I'm not going to kill you, I am going to weaken you, and then once you think it's going to be over, I am going to do even worse!" Jack said to it and left.

Jack went into the medical room where Owen was there.

"Did you extract the mineral as I asked before destroying them?" Jack asked and Owen nodded. "Make it into a mist; let's make this creature wish that it had never come to Earth." Jack said, Owen nodded again and went to work. Jack grabbed his arm and looked at Owen. "One more thing, no matter how much that creature looks like Gwen, it isn't her. Don't fall for it or do anything stupid Owen." Jack left the medical room and went to Tosh.

"Is it ready?" Jack asked.

"Nearly, I need about thirty more minutes and then it should be done." Tosh said.

"Whatever happens down there, remember that it is an illusion. Once it is broken we need to trap it in here. Soon enough it will wish that I did kill it!" Jack said and went to his office. Ianto came in with coffee and looked at Jack.

"Sir, I know that this is hard, but I know what it is like. I know you didn't approve of my actions with… love can do crazy things and she meant…" Ianto didn't know what to say, it was something that he did wrong, putting Torchwood in danger for his feelings. Jack looked at him, he still hadn't forgiven him and he didn't know how to, that thing had nearly killed his whole team, and now with Gwen still being in a coma, he had to concentrate. Ianto left Jack alone.

Jack looked at his computer and entered a web page.

"Password please." The computer said.

"Torchwood Captain Jack Harkness 40351" Jack said to the computer.

"Access granted: Welcome Captain Jack Harkness." The computer replied as it loaded a different screen. A picture appeared in the screen as Jack sat down at his computer.

"What can I do for you Jack?" The person asked.

"I need permission to send something into the time vortex commander." Jack said to the person.

"You know how dangerous this is, explain the situation." The commander said.

"An alien calling itself the Enshi is killing one of my team members. Allow it to live on this planet and it will destroy the human race." Jack said. "This creature needs to be away from this planet to break the link that it has with my team member."

"And how was this link created?" The commander asked.

"I am not sure commander, the reports are being sent to you as we speak. We have dealt with the comets and now we just need to deal with the last creature. It was somewhat more advanced than the other ones we had encountered before." Jack said as he typed a few things on the computer. The commander looked at the reports and then at Jack.

"Jack, this is something not to be taken likely. Permission granted, let's hope that that thing does not survive the trip through the vortex. Access code is on its way." The commander said.

"Trust me commander, I intend to see that it does survive the trip. I want it to live the horror of nothing on the other side." Jack said as he saluted the screen and the picture faded.

Jack went to Gwen's desk and saw her holodisk lying there. Each Torchwood employee had one to record things on. He picked it up and took it to his office. He pressed the play button and the hologram of Gwen appeared.

"If you are watching this, then something mush have happened to me. I activated it so that if I did not access it in over five days, then it was to show itself. Jack, you took me from a boring life and introduced me to a world beyond my imagination. For this I can not thank you enough. The past few days being with you, close to you were more than I could ever ask for. If it wasn't for you… well I would not be leaving this message. I knew that before we went to the last comet, something bad was going to happen. The voices kept saying to me that I was the key and without me, they would never have been able to find so much energy. Know this one thing Jack, I will always and forever… " Jack paused the recording as he saw Tosh at the door. He could not watch anymore and he pushed it to the side.

"Owen is ready, so is I Jack." She said. Jack nodded and turned the hologram off, placing it in his pocket.

He took the team to where he had contained the creature. They looked at the containment unit and then at Jack.

"This unit is designed to stop this monster from escaping." He said as the creature still as Gwen snarled at him. "No matter what you see here, it is not what it appears to be. The real creature's form is the one we saw that night." Jack took the syringe from Owen. It had a misty cloud in it. The creature looked at the syringe and changed its form once again to resemble Owens mum.

"Would you really kill me son?" she asked. Jack had to stop Owen from moving towards the unit.

"Owen, it is just an illusion!" Jack said as it changed once again back to Gwen.

"I like this form… you know Jack, if she was dead you could pretend that I was her!" the creature said to him. Jack took the syringe and pushed it into the hole that was connected to the unit. He pressed the button and the mist was released into the unit. The creature looked worryingly around it as the mist took affect and began to choke and fall to the ground.

"Don't you ever say anything like that about her again, you hear me Enshi!" Jack said as the creature referred to the mist form and changed colour. Jack knew that it was being weakened. He took the capsule from Tosh and attached it to another opening. As soon as the mist turned black, he pushed another button and it entered the capsule. He took the other syringe that Owen had and pushed it in the small outlet in the capsule. The cloud grew smaller. He put it on a table and pressed a few buttons on his wrist communicator.

"Voice recognition code" it said.

"Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood." He said. The communicator beeped and then a green light appeared.

"Enter access code." Jack typed in the number that the commander gave him. The communicator beeped and again went green "code accepted: transporting pod." There was a beam of light and Jack covered his eyes. Within a few seconds, it was gone and the capsule with it.

"What was that Jack?" Tosh asked "Where has it gone?"

"Into the time vortex, to be trapped for all eternity in emptiness. A little payback for what it did to me." He said. He ran to his room, hoping that this would have worked.

Gwen woke up; she was in Jack's room. She had no idea how she got there and also how long she had been out. "Jack!" she said as she stood up and pulled out the IV needle. She opened the door and saw no one in the base. As she walked down the stairs from Jack's office, she saw him coming up from the basement. She looked at him and he looked at her. He ran towards her and took her in his arms as she cried. Jack held her in his arms tightly and kissed her head.

"It worked, thank the stars it worked!" He said as he stroked her head hoping that she would stop crying. Gwen looked up and saw the rest of the team. Jack let her go and she went up to each of the other team members. They each hugged her as they were surprised to see her awake. Gwen came to Owen last of all.

"How are you feeling?" he asked

"Like I have been asleep for too long, but not really asleep do you know what I mean?" she said, Owen nodded.

"I need to check you out in the medical room before I can give you a clean bill of health, but I am so glad to see you back Gwen!" he said as he hugged her. Jack came behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and smiled. "With your permission boss." Owen said and Jack nodded. Owen went into the medical room to get things ready and Gwen was about to follow him when Jack grabbed her hand. He gave her the holodisc. Gwen looked at him.

"Did you watch it?" she asked.

"Some of it, I couldn't watch it all." He said honestly. "I couldn't bear the thought that if I watched it all; it would be like making myself believe that you would never wake up." Jack said to her, she nodded and went into the medical room to see Owen. Owen looked at Gwen, sort of surprised that she could walk around the room. She sat on the bed and he did a full physical.

After about thirty minutes, Gwen was getting restless. "Owen is this going to take much longer?" she asked.

"Gwen, I need to ask you a few questions and tell you some information about what has happened." Owen said.

"I'll do that Owen; just tell us if she is healthy?" Jack said as he stood around waiting for him to finish.

"Physically she is fine. Take her then Jack, but try not to scare her too much." Owen said as Gwen jumped down from the bed. Jack took Gwen's hand and led her out of the base and onto the roof.

"I remember when you first took me up here; it was my first day…" Gwen said as she looked over the city. It was night time and the lights were dancing.

"Gwen, I know you have a lot of questions, so just let me explain. Once I am done, you can ask any other questions that I didn't answer okay?" Jack said to her as she sat down on the edge of the roof. Gwen nodded and Jack explained to her what had happened. Gwen listened intensively while Jack explained to her the past week that she was in a coma and the things that took place during that time. Once he finished, she sat there and tried to think on how she should tell him her side of the story.

"Gwen, are you okay? I know that this is a lot to take in but it's over now." He said as he took her in his arms. She sighed.

"I wish that my side of the story was as eventful, but it wasn't." she said to Jack.

"What had happened Gwen, what happened while you were sleeping?" he asked.

"I remember, feeling the heartbeat through the comet, the creature's mother, the one that took control of them, and then, they tried to pull my spirit away. I remember fighting against them for a long time before I heard screams, and then there was only one left, their mother. She allowed me to explore my mind, but wouldn't let me wake up. She said that me being asleep was helping her get what she wanted and what she needed to survive, but she had a weak point, she was turning into a human. She began to feel emotions, my emotions. She didn't know what they were so I explained to her the feelings that she was having. She wanted to know everything about me, so I told her. Time passed, but I was not sure how much, as far as I was aware, it could have been longer than a week. She told me about her family and that they were all dead. I knew this, they left me alone, but her link was stronger than the ones before her. She was able to absorb my spirit, become a part of me and this made me feel scared Jack. What do you do when someone takes away a part of you that makes you who you are? I had to fight her, to get back what she was trying to take from me. So I did. I fought her Jack and I took my spirit back and just in time, as she was getting weak. It must have been the time when you introduced her to the mist. She didn't like this, but it gave me my chance. I heard her scream in my head and then, she was gone. I was free and I opened my eyes and saw where I was. I took out the IV needle and came to find you as I just wanted to see you again." She said as she ended her story. Jack sat there and listened to the internal battle that she had to fight to break free of the creature's control. The sun began to rise. Gwen closed her eyes and allowed the sun to warm her face. There was one thing that was bothering her.

"Jack, what is the time vortex, what's there?" she asked. Jack looked at her.

"The time vortex is nothing, it is emptiness. The journey there is dangerous and to get out of it… only one person has been able to escape the time vortex and he closed it. But there is always a link still so that things can be sent there, but they never come back. It is eternal banishment into nothingness." He said to Gwen. She nodded, understanding the horror of being left with nothing would want to wish that it was dead.

She stood up and sighed. "Well, I guess I better start looking for place to live." She said, Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his lap. She sat there on his legs and laughed. Jack smiled, how he had missed seeing her face light up.

"Stay with me." He said as he kissed her face, Gwen let out a little laugh at this suggestion.

"Your place is way too small for two of us Jack, and like you said, someone has to be ready all the time. I know you won't leave the hub as you feel it's your duty to, and I respect that. I can't live in the hub Jack." Jack smiled at her.

"Then there is a secret that I have to show you!" he said as he pushed her up to her feet. She looked puzzlingly at him as he stood up and reached his hand out to her. "Come on." He said he was like a child in the toy store; he had something that he always wanted. Gwen took his hand and Jack led them back down to the hub.

"Ianto, Owen, Tosh?" Jack called out the teams names. None of them were there; they all went home to finally sleep. Jack smiled at Gwen, and all she could do was look puzzled. Jack took her into his office and down into his room. He stopped in front of a wardrobe and Gwen looked at him.

"Welcome home!" he said as he pushed the wardrobe away, reveling a door. Gwen looked at him still puzzled, but Jack took her by the hand. In it, there was a key. She went to the lock and unlocked the door, looking at Jack. He signaled for her to continue and she pushed the door open. Jack took the torch and they went inside. Gwen was surprised to see a big empty room. Gwen walked in and starred and Jack came in behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"This could be our bedroom and the other room will be a common room for the both of us. What do you say Gwen, is it a good idea?" he asked as he looked around for the light switch. Gwen looked around the room amazed.

"Only if we get a big fish tank in here!" she said.

"Is that a yes then?" Jack smiled at her and she nodded. Jack took her in his arms and swung her around before bringing her down and kissing her passionately on the lips. Gwen couldn't believe that this was happening, she expected Jack to help her find somewhere, but not to move in with him, and in the hub? She laughed to herself, she knew her job would take over her, but was she really ready for it to take this much control of her.

Jack looked at her as she looked around the room. He saw something in her from the start. She gave this team something that they had all lost a long time ago; she showed them what it was like to care about what was happening and to treat things more as real people, not as objects. He walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Come on; time to get some rest after all of this." He said and she nodded. "We will get your things tomorrow and you can go furniture shopping if you like?" he said. He could tell that something was bothering her, but she smiled and nodded. Jack led her to his bed and she immediately closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Old friends found, new problems arise

The next day came and Gwen opened her eyes. She looked around and saw that Jack wasn't there. She knew this as he didn't need to sleep and she sat up and looked around. The door was closed to the secret room and she smiled. She finally felt like she belonged somewhere, even though there were still fears in the back of her mind. She pushed those fears away, saying that they were mainly due to what happened. She went upstairs and saw Jack at his computer. Jack smiled at her as he saw her and she smiled back.

"How did you sleep, any problems?" he asked. He was still worried about the link, but he had a feeling that it worked.

"Nope, slept fine. You should have woken me a bit earlier." She said as she saw the team in the hub working on their own things. She sat down next to Jack at the conference table and starred into space. After a few minutes, Ianto came in with coffee. This was needed for Gwen as she was still feeling the effects of sleep in her body. She said thanks and began to drink the hot liquid in the dire hope of it to wake her up. Jack smiled and went to his computer.

"So, we use the SUV to get your stuff today and also…" he said as he turned his computer screen around, She smiled as she saw the fish tank that she wanted. Jack looked at her as her face lit up and felt warm inside. She was happy, and this made him feel great.

"Jack, I don't know if I want the team to know, so can we move the stuff once they have all gone?" she said, she wasn't sure how this would affect Owen, she knew that they hadn't done anything for a long time, but she still cared about him. Jack looked at her and nodded, maybe she was right about not letting the team knew, at least until they were ready.

The day went by with nothing happening, and Jack sent the team home early. As he and Gwen drove to the storage area to get Gwen's things, she sat there, thinking about all of the events and that they were finally over.

"Jack, what do you do when something… no forget it, it's not important." She said to Jack as they drove back to the hub with her stuff.

"This is our life Gwen; this is how we prepare ourselves, to maybe stop what will happen in the twenty first century." Jack said as the SUV pulled up at the hub.

"What does happen Jack?" she asked. Jack looked at her.

"Something so horrible, it would destroy the planet. I can't describe it to you as I am not 100% sure myself. All I know is that it happens and we have to be ready to stop it." He said. Gwen looked at the determination in his face and she got out of the SUV and grabbed a box. She took it into the new room and looked around. Jack had bought more of her things and also the furniture from the apartment. Gwen wanted to get rid of it all as it reminded her too much of her time with Rhys. She sat down on the floor while Jack went to get more boxes and felt her phone vibrating. She looked at the screen and saw she had a message from Rhys. She read it and then threw the phone across the room, smashing it as it hit the wall. She hated him, how could he have asked her for that? Jack came in and saw her on the floor. He looked at her and then put the box down and went to get another without asking any questions. Gwen sighed and went to pick up the phone. There was no way it could be used now. She took out the SIM card and put it in her pocket. Jack came back with another box and went up to her. He looked at the phone in pieces on the floor.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just lost grip of it and it fell on the floor." She said to him. "I will get a new phone in the morning, now I just need some sleep Jack." She said to him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Jack nodded and led her to the bed. She laid down as he went to the SUV and finished unloading the boxes while Gwen closed her eyes and slept.

Gwen awoke from her sleep and knew that Jack was not with her. She wasn't expecting him to be, but she wanted to sneak out of the hub to be alone for a bit. She quickly got dressed and closed the door to the other room and pushed the wardrobe back in front of it. She knew that no one went in Jack's room, but she wanted to be safe. She went up into Jack's office and saw him on his computer. She smiled at him while he looked at his watch.

"Do you want some company?" he asked her. This was out of Jack's character; he was normally protective of her, especially after what happened. She went over to him and kissed him on the head.

"No, I will be okay. Continue with whatever you were doing." She said.

"Okay, but take your communicator and also bring us back something to eat, I'm starved!" she nodded as she opened the door to his office, grabbed her communicator that she left on the desk and went out.

The walk to the roof was a refreshing one for Gwen. It gave her time to think. It was the beginning of the sun rise and she watched it, feeling the warmth hit her face. She thought back to Rhys' text message. She could never do what he asked of her, she thought that it would be her but not someone else. Rhys told her that he was engaged to his new girlfriend and he wanted her at the wedding and the party. She sat on the edge with her legs hanging over thinking about Jack. She knew so little about him, and yet she knew that she loved him and he made her so happy. She also knew that he could never die. _What would that be like?_ She thought to herself. As the sun came up, she knew that she couldn't be gone for long otherwise Jack would be getting worried. She went to the supermarket near by and got some eggs and other ingredients to cook them breakfast and headed back to the hub.

Jack watched Gwen as she left the hub. The reaction to the phone was something that he had not expected, but he had gotten her a replacement. He looked at his computer, the link that he had to the other things in his life. He was reading about the Doctor, seeing if he had been sighted again, but so far nothing. Jack kept looking at the computer, hoping that something would happen today, he hated being stuck in the office with nothing to do, well while the other team members were around that was. He looked up as he heard the doors to the hub open and saw Gwen walk in with some shopping. Jack went to help her and took the bags from her.

"I got something for you, to replace what you broke last night." Jack said to her as he went to the kitchen with her. He went over to his desk and got the package out. Gwen looked at it and opened it to see a new phone for her. She smiled at Jack and hugged him.

"Thanks Jack, just the phone I have been looking for too!" she said as she opened it and put in her SIM card. She put the phone on charge and went about cooking breakfast for the both of them.

A few days had past, and Jack and Gwen were getting used to living together. Gwen could not believe that she was in the hub, while Jack was still getting over the fact that he could live with someone. Nothing had happened in the last few days and Jack was getting very restless. Gwen could see this not only in him, but also in the rest of the team. Tosh's computer beeped. This bought light to Jack's eyes as he knew this meant something. He waited for Tosh to look on the computer to what was happening before getting more excited.

"We have something activated, not sure what Jack, but it's something big!" she said as Jack joined her at the computer. Jack smiled; he was waiting for this to happen.

"Gwen, with me. Owen, just stay here, we shouldn't be in any danger." He said as Gwen grabbed her communicator and went to the SUV. Gwen was confused the whole time while Jack appeared to be happy.

"Jack what is going on?" she asked.

"I want to introduce you to someone who will help us." He said as they pulled up to the coords that Tosh had given them.

Gwen looked out as she saw a blue police box standing there. "Tosh, it's okay, we may have some friends over for a few days." Jack said in his communicator. He went out of the SUV followed by Gwen. Jack put his arm around her as he knocked on the door. Gwen could hear faint footsteps as the door opened and Jack saw a face he thought that he would never see.

"Rose Tyler, what a sight for sore eyes you are!" he said to her as she came out of the box. Rose hugged Jack as Gwen stepped back.

"Who is this then Jack?" she asked.

"Rose, this is Gwen, she is my girlfriend." Jack said as he smiled at her. Rose held out her hand and Gwen shook it.

"So you are the one who finally bagged Captain Jack Harkness." Rose said and Gwen nodded. Rose looked back at Jack. "I thought that you were dead… back on satellite five. I remember seeing you…"

"You bought me back, I don't know how but the TARDIS bought me back. Now, where is he?" Jack asked. Rose looked back in the police box and saw him coming.

"Jack, just a quick warning, he has had a change…" she started to say.

"Right then, where did we end up this…" the man from the police box said. His sentence was cut short as he looked at Jack as if someone was haunting him. "Jack?" he asked.

"I could say the same thing about you Doctor!" Jack said as he shook his hand and took him into an embrace. "You regenerated I see." Jack commented as he stood back.

"And you are alive, it's a day full of surprises!" the Doctor said. "And who is this?" he said as he looked at Gwen. Jack pushed her forward.

"Gwen, this is the Doctor. Doctor, this is Gwen, my girlfriend." Jack said as Gwen shook his hand.

"Since when has Captain Jack been a one person exclusive?" The Doctor asked.

"For quite some time now!" Jack said to him as he put his arm around her. "I could say the same about the two of you now… she has stuck around a whole regeneration. I thought that time lords don't find partners?" Jack said to the Doctor as they went into the TARDIS.

Gwen waited outside the door, she wasn't sure if she was allowed to enter. Jack stopped when he saw that Gwen was not with him. He went out of the door and grabbed her arm. Gwen was pulled in and surprised to see at how big the TARDIS was. Even though she wanted to run out to see if what she saw was real, she knew not to as this was something alien.

"A Time Lord?" Gwen asked out loud. The Doctor turned and looked at her.

"Yes, I can travel through time and space. In a way, this was how we met Jack, in 1941, he helped us with a bomb, and then satellite five and the attack…" the Doctor said, leaving it like that. Gwen listened and learned more about Jack. They continued walking in the TARDIS and Gwen looked around interested in everything. The others continued talking as she touched the control panel, feeling the energy coming from it.

"Jack, the ship is alive!" she said as she pulled her hand away. The Doctor went up to her and looked at her.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"I can feel the life energy running through it, it was as if a part of me was in it and we connected…" she said as she began to go pale. The Doctor led her to a seat and she sat down.

"Jack, there is more to her than you are telling me am I right?" The Doctor asked as Rose handed Gwen some water. Jack sighed as he went up to the Doctor.

"Ever heard of a creature called the Enshi?" he asked.

"Yes, they were exiled into space by their creator." The Doctor said. Jack sighed as he began to tell the story of what had happened the past few weeks.

Once he finished, the Doctor went up to Gwen and took out his sonic screwdriver and began to examine her.

"So, you work for Torchwood." The Doctor said.

"Heard you destroyed Torchwood one in London." Jack said. "I am the leader of Torchwood three, and we need your help." Jack said as the Doctor continued to examine Gwen. Once he was finished, he turned to Jack.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"It's coming and this planet is not ready for it. We need your help to destroy it before it destroys us." Jack said.

"What's coming?" The Doctor asked.

"I am not sure yet, but I can feel it, getting closer. We need you to stay around to help us." The Doctor looked at Jack as he said this and then at Gwen. He took her hand and pricked her finger. She flinched as the Doctor took a drop of her blood to the control panel and it analyzed it. The machine beeped at the Doctor and he went back to Gwen.

"We have met somewhere before, but I am not sure if you can remember…" he said, then he turned to Jack. "She is a key Jack, did you know that?" the Doctor asked. Jack looked at Gwen and shook his head.

"No, if she was then a lot more things would be happening to her, not just the Enshi, but other things too" Jack said as he took Gwen into his arms. "You don't understand Doctor, I have to protect her."

"Yes, you do Jack, not only because I can see that you love her more than anything, but because if anything happened to her, things around here would get a lot worse." He said as he took Rose into his own arms. "I realized that with Rose, and you have realized that with Gwen. We need them. Rose saved us on satellite five and Gwen is more important than she knows. Do you remember, can you think back Gwen?" The Doctor asked her. Gwen tried to think where she saw him before, but she couldn't remember. The Doctor shook his head. "It will come, when it is needed I guess." He said. "Anyway, nice car, why not show us the rest of the place?" The Doctor asked Jack.

"And the TARDIS I assume will be okay here?" Jack asked and the Doctor nodded as they went out and he locked the TARDIS with his key.

All of them got into the SUV and Gwen talked to the rest of the team back in the hub as they drove off. Jack and the Doctor were talking the whole time while Gwen looked out of the window and watched the scenery pass them by. Once they were in the hub, Gwen snapped out of her trance as she showed Rose around while the Doctor and Jack went to his office.

"So this is where we have the cells. It goes down for about seven levels. We have a creature in here, Jack called her Janet, and she is kinda strange but…"

"Show me." Rose said and Gwen showed her the Weevil. Rose looked at the creature behind the plastic and the creature looked at her. Gwen shuddered, she didn't like them. They soon left the cell area and Gwen showed Rose to the other areas in the hub. "You all seem to have everything covered." Rose said and Gwen nodded.

"We need to so that people do not live in fear for what they know." Gwen said to Rose as they sat down on the sofa. Ianto bought them both coffee and joined them. Owen and Tosh soon came over and were asking Rose questions about her travels. Gwen looked up at Jack and the Doctor. She was trying to remember about what he said, about her being the key. She needed to find out more.

Gwen wandered around the hub while the rest were busy. She pushed the button and went out of the door and up to the outside. She breathed in deeply as she tried to understand what the Doctor meant about her being a key. She wandered up to the water fountain, and touched the water. It was cool as it ran down into the Torchwood hub. She looked up in the sky and allowed her thoughts to flow freely. She was happy that the Enshi were gone and that she was no longer under their control. However, now she was faced with something else, being a key… _but a key to what? _She thought to herself. She wasn't sure if Jack would tell her anything.

"So this is where you hang out!" she heard a voice and she came back to reality and turned to see Rhys.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as he walked up to her.

"I was just out for a walk, Tasha works near here and I was just seeing her for lunch." He said as he stopped next to her. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was just walking around, waiting for a few friends of mine." She said and she mentally kicked herself.

"You never did reply to my message. I tried calling you but I guess that you have been busy with work." He said to her.

"Work has been quiet for a while, I just… didn't know what to say Rhys, and I mean what would you do if someone…" she couldn't let her sentence finished; she was starting to get a headache and felt strange. She reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone and text Owen, in the dire hope that he would answer and come and get her. Rhys looked at her phone.

"A bit flashy isn't it? What happened to the old one?" He asked.

"It broke. Oh, look there is one of my friends!" she said as she waved to Owen. He came running towards her.

"Hi Gwen, are you okay?" he asked her.

"Of course I am. I'm sorry Rhys, but I have to go. Owen and I promised that we would meet the rest of the people at the restaurant." Gwen said as Owen took her hand "I need to get back, I can't move well, my head hurts like hell!" she whispered to Owen, he nodded and guided her away from Rhys.

Owen looked back a few times and saw that he was gone; he helped her sit on the ground. She closed her eyes as Owen took her pulse.

"Gwen, what happened?" he asked.

"I don't know, my head hurts like hell and I couldn't walk very well, like I was stuck to the spot. I just needed someone here, and I knew Jack was busy so I text you in the hope that you would come." She said as Owen forced her to open her eyes.

"You seem fine, are you feeling better?" he asked.

"A bit, yes. Owen, I don't want to go back down to the hub, I mean I just want to stay in the air for a while." She said and Owen sat down next to her. She looked up at the sky and sighed. She wanted to know what was going on, she didn't want to be left in the dark. After the headache had passed, she stood up and looked at Owen.

"Okay, I guess we should go back." She said as Owen stood up and walked back to the hub with her.

Everyone was still there as she left them. She took a deep breath and went into Jack's office. He turned as she walked in.

"I want to know what am I a key to?" she asked straight out. Jack went over to her and hugged her. The Doctor looked at Gwen. She still didn't remember.

"I'm sorry Gwen, but you need to remember this so that only you can unlock it when the time is right. If it is done too early, it is dangerous, and too late could mean disaster for this planet." He said to her. She held on to Jack, not knowing how to accept this information.

"Come on Gwen, let's all go out for a drink? I am sure that the Doctor and Rose haven't stopped off on this planet in this century for a long time so they are more than likely dying for something to drink!" Jack said as he kissed her on the forehead. Gwen let herself melt in Jack's arms and allowed him to lead her to the rest of the team to tell them the good news. They all went to the local pub around the corner from the hub. The Doctor and Rose began telling stories about their travels while the rest of the team listened, and exchanged their stories as well. Gwen was looking into the distance, still confused about what the Doctor said to her about being a key. She knew that this was really going to annoy her. All of a sudden, feeling sick, she excused herself and went out to get some air.

As the cool sea breeze hit her face, she sighed. She heard the door open and saw Jack come out to her. He put his arms around her and kissed her on the head.

"How am I supposed to remember when he won't tell me anything?" Gwen asked.

"He is doing this for a reason Gwen, it will come to you, and you just need to be patient. Once it happens, we can then see what this key really is. Remember though I would never let anything hurt you, and I am always here for you when you need me." He said. She rested her head against his arm and closed her eyes, listening to his heart beat.

"So where are they going to stay?" she asked.

"In the TARDIS, the Doctor will bring it closer to the hub so that we don't always have to drive them." Jack explained. "Come on kitten; let's go back in and soon we will be home." He said as he led her back into the pub.

After dropping the Doctor and Rose off at the TARDIS, Gwen and Jack went back to the hub and lay on the bed. Gwen could then hear a strange noise.

"Don't worry, that is just them moving in above us." Jack said with a smile. He took Gwen in his arms and began to kiss her passionately. Gwen wasn't in the mood, as she had a lot on her mind, but allowed the kiss to melt away all of her thoughts as Jack pulled her in tighter to himself. Gwen moaned as the kiss got more passionate. She felt Jack undo her buttons on her blouse as she also felt her phone vibrating in her jeans pocket.

"Ignore it." Jack said in between a kiss. Gwen did and it just rang again. This time she couldn't ignore it and reached into her back pocket and answered it.

"Hello? Yes, this is she. What happened? Okay, sure I will be on my way." She said as she hung up. She sighed as Jack kissed her neck. "I have to go to the hospital, there was some sort of accident and Rhys was involved. He hadn't changed her records so they contacted me instead of…" She said as she started to do her blouse up. "Come with me Jack, this doesn't feel right." She said and he nodded.

"When will we ever be able to be alone!" he said to the ceiling, Gwen knew how he felt, as she felt the exact same way. They went to the SUV and Jack drove them to the hospital.

When they got there, they were surprised to see how badly beaten he was. Jack examined him and could tell what attacked him. Gwen also knew, she had seen this before and she hated them. "Weevils" she said, and Jack nodded. Gwen went to Rhys' side and held his hand. "Rhys, it's Gwen, I am going to call Tasha and tell her what happened. You don't worry okay? This is something that we will take care of." She said as he began to open his badly bruised eyes. He looked at Gwen, and then at Jack and nodded.

"Just relax okay, close your eyes and relax." Jack said to him as Gwen took his phone and called Tasha. She had never met her and didn't know what to say, when she answered the phone, she froze. Jack took it from her and explained where Rhys was. She said that she was on her way and Gwen went outside, she didn't want to be around when she came. Jack came out about twenty minutes later, Gwen assumed that she was in there but she didn't see her, so many female people went in and out of the hospital that she didn't know which one was her. Jack put his arm around her and she hugged him.

"How can a Weevil do this to him, I mean I thought that they were staying low for a while after everything that had happened." She said to Jack.

"You know that there is always one who thinks that he can do whatever he wants. He was in the wrong place at the exact wrong time, it happens." Jack said as he led her to the SUV. "Let's see if we can try and get a track on this bastard that hurt him and bring it in, will that make you feel better my kitten?" he asked, she nodded in agreement. Jack was on his communicator getting the rest of the team to meet them at the hub. "I think that the Doctor would like this!" he said as he drove them back.

The team was already in the hub and Jack had gone to get the Doctor and Rose.

"Is there any way we can track it?" Gwen asked Tosh.

"No, when was he attacked?" she asked.

"About an hour ago, in this area." Gwen explained as she showed Tosh on the map. Tosh typed some information into the computer and then an area went red.

"It should be in this general area, let's hope that it hasn't gone and hurt more people." She said as they got ready to go out. The doors opened and Jack came in with the Doctor and Rose behind him. He saw the team getting into the SUV and they followed them.

"Ianto, you stay here, we need someone here as a back-up." Jack said to him and he got out of the car. "Move over Owen, I'm driving!" Jack said as Owen was about to get into the driver's seat. He sat himself down next to Jack and they drove off.

"So, where are we going?" said the Doctor. Gwen looked at Tosh's device and saw that they were nearly there.

"Find and capture mission." Gwen said as she put her communicator in her ear and handed the Doctor and Rose one. "A weevil has been attacking people, now we are going to take it in, but the radius is too big for one of us to cover." Gwen said.

"So we go in teams. Rose with Gwen, Tosh and Owen with each other and the Doctor, with me. Here Gwen, Owen, take this so you can see where to go. Stay in contact and also within the mile radius. It mustn't be far." Jack said as he pulled up the SUV.

Gwen and Rose wandered off in the opposite direction from the other three. They wandered around, hoping to find some kind of a sign where Rhys was attacked. Gwen sniffed the air, she could smell blood. "Rose, this way!" she said as she ran over to a wall. It was covered in blood. "Jack, we found some blood, it is cold, but still wet. It was here I think…" she said as she closed her eyes. All of a sudden, images started to flash in her head of what happened. She screamed as Rose pulled her hand away from the wall.

"Gwen, what happened?" she asked as Gwen tried to slow her breathing down.

"I—I don't know, it was here, it really happened here!" she said as she opened her eyes. A few tears fell down her cheeks as memories from the pictures returned.

"Doctor, there is something wrong with Gwen, we need you here now!" Rose said into her communicator. "Gwen, try and calm down, it's okay. They are coming here soon." Rose said.

"And we are not alone, it didn't get far!" Gwen said as she looked at the thing coming down the alley. The Weevil was there, why Gwen was unsure as they normally ran from their crimes. It moved closer to them and Gwen stood up, pushing Rose behind her to protect her.

"How did it know we were here?" Rose asked.

"I don't know, but it isn't going to be here for much longer. Jack, get here now!" Gwen said into her communicator as she loaded her gun. "On our way, be careful!" she heard Jack say as the Weevil moved closer. Gwen reached into her pocket and got the spray bottle and gave it to Rose. "This keeps him back, in case he gets too close to you okay?" Gwen told her as she reached behind and put the spray in her hand. "Come on Jack, where are you?" she said into her communicator as the Weevil moved closer. Gwen backed away, so far that they ended up at the back of the alley. "Dead end, no surprise there!" she said to herself. She looked back at Rose and saw that she was fine. The Weevil moved closer to the pair, so Gwen fired a warning shot in the air hoping that it knew it had to stay back. It stood still, stunned for a few minutes before it continued towards them. Gwen aimed the gun at him, praying that Jack would get here before she had to shoot him.

"I know it was you…" Gwen said to it "you feasted on him right here on this spot." The Weevil looked at her sideways as if trying to understand what she was saying.

"Gwen, what are you doing?" Rose whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry Rose, they will be here soon." Gwen said to her as she kept eye contact with the Weevil.

Gwen looked at the Weevil, praying to the stars that Jack would get here soon. She fired another warning shot into the air, hoping that it would slow him down, but all it did was snarled at them and moved closer.

"Stop otherwise I will shoot you." Gwen said to it "you attacked him; my friend and now what are you going to do? Kill us too? We know who you are and what you can do and we know how to hurt you." She said as the Weevil moved closer to them. She could hear footsteps and so could he as he turned and saw Jack and the other two people coming up behind it. Jack used the electric stick and shocked it, bringing it down. The Weevil groaned in shock as it fell to the ground, and Jack shocked it again. Owen came over and injected the Weevil with a sedative as it went limp. Gwen lowered her gun and crashed to the floor, all of a sudden feeling sick. Rose bent down before her as the Doctor came up to check her. Gwen closed her eyes as they felt heavy to her and her head slanted to the side. The Doctor looked up at Rose.

"What happened?" he asked her

"She touched the wall and screamed, something about memories of the attack was coming to her and then we turned and saw that thing coming towards us." Rose said to her as the Doctor shook Gwen awake. Rose looked at the creature as Jack and Owen took it back to the SUV. "Is she going to be okay?" Rose asked.

"Physically, she is fine, she has just passed out from sickness, shock or something that I am not too sure about. Come on Gwen, wake up." The Doctor continued to say as he shook her. Gwen still sat there, lifeless in his arms. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Jack.

"Let me take her, we need to get her back to the hub." He said as the Doctor let go of her and Jack picked her up. "Come on kitten, wake up, its time to go home." He said into her ear, but nothing, no reaction whatsoever. Jack checked her breathing and pulse, both appeared to be fine. Jack put her in the SUV in the front and strapped her in and drove away.

Gwen awoke and felt that she was moving. She turned and saw Jack driving the SUV.

"Jack, pull over!" she said as a wave of nausea came over her all of a sudden. Jack stopped the SUV in the street and Gwen opened the window and puked onto the ground. When she was done, she looked around at the people squashed in the car. Jack put his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked and she nodded. He started the engine once again and they drove back to the hub.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Jack asked her as she began to look pale. Gwen nodded and they drove back to the hub in silence. Once there, Jack took Owen with the Weevil to the cells and locked him up while he was still out. "I need you to check on Gwen, I want to know if she is really okay." Jack asked Owen as they went back to the main part of the hub. Owen nodded, knowing somehow that the Doctor would already be examining her as they spoke. When they got to the top of the stairs, Owen was right as the Doctor was trying to poke Gwen with some object that he had never seen before.

"Jack, Owen, some help please!" Gwen pleaded to the both of them as she tried to move away from the Doctor's grasp.

"Come on Gwen, this won't hurt, I promise, well it didn't hurt to the last person I did this on, but wasn't he the one who couldn't feel pain… oh well, brave girl and all of that!" The Doctor said as he smiled and turned back to Gwen.

"Umm… Doctor is that needed?" Jack asked as he ran over with Owen behind him. "I am sure that we have enough human technology to see that she is fine." He said as he removed the device from his hand. Owen led Gwen to the medical room while Jack distracted the Doctor. "Where did you get one of these?" Jack said as he looked at it more closely.

"Neptune I think, one of the aliens there gave it to me as I saved his life. Hard to get these things are, worth a lot too, can tell you anything about any being in a snap!" he said.

"Yeah, and also painful, what were you thinking about doing that to Gwen?" Jack said as he gave him back the machine.

"It's not that painful Jack, it's just a small pinch like this…" the Doctor said as he pressed the button of the machine. Jack let out a loud "ouch" before turning back to the Doctor. "See, nothing to worry about!" he said to Jack as he walked off, leaving Jack to rub his arm where the Doctor had used the device.

"Now then let's see what Jack is really made out of…" the Doctor said to himself as he entered the medical room where Owen was checking on Gwen. "Come on Gwen, just a quick pinch and then its over!" he said as he looked up at her. Gwen looked at the door and saw Jack shaking his head and mouthing "no" as he rubbed his still sore arm.

"Think I will pass!" she said as she squirmed as the Doctor came closer.

"Jack is just a baby, it doesn't hurt that much!" he said as the machine beeped telling him the results. "Looking fine Jack, just like you always were!" he said. Jack smiled at him as he still rubbed his arm.

"Just don't do that again. I forgot how painful they were, haven't had one of them since I was at the medic-lab at home." Jack commented as he went down Gwen. "How is she Owen?" he asked as he joined him next to Gwen. Owen sighed.

"She is fine Jack, nothing that I can physically see. I have to wait for the test results, but besides that, I guess we need to ask her about what happened." Owen said looking at his chart.

"Hello, I am sitting right here! Am I invisible now or something?" she said as she waved her hands in the air. They both turned and looked at her and then turned back to the paperwork. "But if what Rose said that she saw what had happen, could it be that she has some kind of…"

"Nah… not possible, especially if you are thinking that it was from the Enshi, they could never do that to anyone." The Doctor said as he came up from behind them. "It can't happen now though, it isn't time yet is it Jack?" he asked him as he turned and looked at him. Gwen was listening to them as their voices dropped to a whisper. She got down from the bed and went towards them, trying to see if she could listen to what they were saying.

"Kitten, come on, the Doctor and I want to know what happened." He said as he smiled his ever so dazzling smile at her and put his arm around her. "Let's go somewhere quiet. Owen, when the tests are done, I would like the results on my desk." He said as he led Gwen and the Doctor outside of the hub into the early morning twilight.


	3. New friends and the truth is uncovered

"Where are we going?" she asked as the Doctor led Gwen and Jack into the TARDIS.

"Nowhere… well in this time I think, not sure what he is planning though…" Jack said as the Doctor started to power up the TARDIS. "Doctor, nothing too life altering for her okay, somewhere nice and easy for her first time, how about the rings of Saturn?" Jack said as he helped power up the TARDIS. Gwen watched as the two men as she felt the machine move.

"Sure Jack sounds great!" the Doctor said, not really listening to what he had suggested, he knew where to take her, somewhere to help her with this gift she was developing. "Here we go!" he said with a smile on his face "I would recommend that you hold onto something Gwen." He said just as he pulled down a lever and the TARDIS moved. After a few minutes, it stopped.

"Okay, I have no idea where we are…" Gwen said as she looked worryingly at Jack and the Doctor. The Doctor smiled at her.

"This place is somewhere where people come to get the help that you need." He said, at this point, Jack turned and looked at the Doctor, realizing where he had bought them.

"Didn't I say nothing too life altering?" Jack said as she went to the door of the TARDIS and walked out of it. After a few seconds, he ran back in. "Next time, a warning, I forgot that these people don't exactly like me… which makes a change." He said as he went to the Doctor. The Doctor sighed.

"Jack please, the next time I take you on a trip, make sure you inform me of the people that you pissed off during your time as a Time Agent okay? Then maybe we could avoid all of this mess!" he said as he took Gwen's hand and led her outside of the TARDIS, closely followed by Jack.

Gwen was amazed; it was the most beautiful place that she had ever seen. The sky was a clear blue and they were sealed in a glass dome, looking over a view of a lake with mountains behind them. The Doctor went up to the crowd and talked to them, explaining the situation and asking for them to forget about Jack's past. After about ten minutes, one of them approached Gwen.

"Welcome Gwen to our planet. Please, follow me to your room." She said. She looked at the Doctor and Jack and they nodded.

"You can go with her Jack, just try not to piss the natives off again!" the Doctor said to them as he turned back to the rest of the people. Gwen followed the women and Jack came behind her.

"My name is Zara, if you have any questions; please feel free to ask me." She said as they walked past various different rooms which had people in either meditating or other things happening that Gwen could not believe or explain. Jack looked into the rooms briefly, nothing registered on his face like Gwen's. As she looked into each of the rooms, she was surprised to see what was going on.

"Where are we?" she asked Zara as she caught up with her.

"I am sorry for my impoliteness, welcome to Gia, the home of my people." She said to them as they continued down the corridor.

"Gotta love this planet!" Jack said as he smiled and looked up at the two suns in the sky. "You know, I was only doing my job the last time I was here!" he said to Zara. She rolled her eyes.

"We have forgiven your last visit here Captain Jack, please try and make your visit here a bit more pleasant for my people." She said as they continued walking.

"Are you their ruler?" Gwen asked innocently.

"I am their leader yes. They turn to me for advice and help in times of need and I do what I can for them." She said looking at the children affectionately as they came up to her and bowed. She smiled and bowed back to the children. One of them levitated a flower over to her and she took it and thanked the child and then they ran away laughing.

Gwen watched as the child who had given her the flower stopped and turned to Gwen.

"I can teach that to you, I can sense that you can do that too." The child said to her as Gwen crouched down next to it. The child came up to her and kissed her on the cheek without any fear. "You are a nice and kind person, but I sense something inside you, haunting you…" the child stopped and hugged Gwen. She was shocked for a few seconds before wrapping her arms around the child. The child let go of her and went up to Zara and spoke in a strange language. She stood up and turned to Jack.

"How come now we can't understand what they are saying?" she asked.

"This is their native language. The TARDIS translates it for us so that we can understand it, so that when they speak, we hear English and when we speak, they hear Giaian, their native language. This time, the conversation is private, so that the TARDIS isn't translating this for us." Jack explained to her as they finished their conversation and the child turned back to Gwen.

"My name is Crystal; please allow me to teach you how to make the gift come out." The young girl said to Gwen. She looked at Jack, scared and somewhat worried.

"Jack, I think we need to talk… alone!" she said as she pulled Jack's are towards a waterfall in the middle of a square.

"What the hell is going on!" she said to him, Jack sighed.

"This place, these people have special gifts, and somehow so do you. I am not sure what is going on Gwen, but we have to see how we can make these come out. It's important, when the time comes, you will know how to use them, and will need them to…" Jack's voice trailed off. He didn't want to leave her here, how could he? He hated the Doctor for doing this to him, to them. "You will have to stay here until you can unlock them, master them, I am not sure how long this will take, but the Doctor and I will have to go back to the team and hope that they haven't panicked too much while we were gone. These people will take the best of care of you and I will come back as often as the Doctor allows me to check on you with some members of the team to visit and also make sure that you are okay." He said. Gwen's eyes started to fill up. Not only was she on another planet, she will be left alone with them too. Jack took her in his arms and hugged her.

"Kitten, I promise to come as much as I can, you know that we have to be on our guard and this…" he didn't know what to say, how to stop his own emotions and the feeling that he will be back to feeling empty while she was here. Zara came up to them and touched Gwen on the arm.

"We should go. Jack, the Doctor is looking for you so please allow me to show Gwen to her room." She said to them both. Jack nodded as he let go of Gwen and let her go with Zara.

Jack and the Doctor stood at the TARDIS ready to say goodbye. Zara led Gwen to them, she was now dressed in a white robe and her hair was flowing freely. She looked up at them both, tears falling down her cheeks. The Doctor went up to her and hugged her.

"You will be fine, these people will love you like one of their own. We will be back in a few days, I promise. Here take this." He said as he handed her back her mobile phone that he took from her pocket. "There is a universal roam on it so you can call Jack and he can call you whenever you both want." He said. She smiled and tightened her arms around him, whispering a "thank you" in his ear. The Doctor pushed Gwen gently away and went into the TARDIS. Jack came up to her and took her into his arms for what he knew would be the last time for a few days.

"I am so going to miss you kitten, it won't be the same in the hub without you." He said as she let out a gentle sob. Jack pulled her back and kissed her hard, passionately and so deeply that he had never kissed her before. Gwen allowed the tears to flow freely down her cheeks, hoping for the kiss to never end, but she felt a tug on her robe. She pulled away and saw Crystal with her hand outstretched to Gwen. She stood back with Crystal as Jack said to her that she loved her. Gwen nodded, not trusting herself with words.

"I will call you when we come next." Jack said to her as he entered the TARDIS. She just nodded and watched as he closed the door and the TARDIS departed, leaving her alone.

Days passed and nothing from Jack saying when they were coming. Gwen's lessons took place each day as she unlocked what she could do. Most of the time she was drained as the lessons opened painful memories and also hurt her so much. On her fifth day of being left, she got a message from Jack saying that they would come and see her in five minutes. She smiled as she ran to the open area where the TARDIS last landed and waited. After a few seconds, the TARDIS appeared and the first person out was Jack. Tears of joy fell down her cheeks as she ran to him and he took her in his arms and swung her around. She kissed him hard on the lips, and he returned the kiss just as passionately and wanting. She pulled away as the other people began to come out of the TARDIS. She saw Rose, the Doctor and Owen and smiled at them.

"What's this?" the Doctor said as she pulled away, she forgot that she had it around her neck.

"This is a mini translator for me to be able to understand them and we can communicate with each other this way." She explained to him as she fingered the necklace. She went to Rose and hugged her too.

"How is it, being on another planet?" she asked.

"They are so nice to me, that I am starting to get used to it!" she replied. She looked at Owen who was standing there bemused at what was going on. "Welcome Owen. I take it Jack explained everything." She asked. Owen just nodded and Gwen laughed. She turned to see Zara coming up to them. She left them and went to her and bowed. After a brief conversation, Gwen came up to them again. "Please, join me for a meal in the plaza." She said as she turned back to Zara who nodded in agreement. "I can then show you what I have learnt." She said as the team followed her.

Jack stood behind Gwen the whole time, amazed at how she shined. Gwen led them to the middle of the dome where the waterfall was and waved her hand in front of the area. Tables appeared and so did Crystal. Gwen smiled at her child teacher as she sat down.

"Time to eat!" she said eagerly. The child was coming out of her shell after spending a few hours with Gwen. Gwen touched the child's cheek as they both closed her eyes. Gwen smiled as they both clicked their fingers and food appeared on the table. The rest of the group stood shocked at her. She signaled for them to sit down. Gwen introduced them to Crystal and they all began to eat. After the food was gone, Crystal clicked her fingers and the plates had vanished. The Doctor turned to Gwen.

"So, how are the lessons going?" he asked. She smiled.

"My teacher here says that I am ready to take the trial, and then I should be allowed to go home." She said to them all. She was so happy to be going home, each day alone here was somewhat of a nightmare mixed with a dream. She could not believe what was happening.

"Gwen, can I come with you?" Crystal asked, she knew that this would be hard on the child as they had grown so close. Gwen smiled at her.

"I can't let you leave here; you know how your mum would feel." She said to the child who frowned.

"Fine, I am going, lesson in twenty minutes. Enjoy showing your friends around." She said as she jumped down from her chair, Gwen bent down so she could kiss her on the cheek and ran off. Gwen turned back to the rest of the team.

"Shall we?" she said as she stood up.

Gwen showed them around the dome, including the room that she had somehow called home for the last five days. She had a holodisk on her bedside table. She blushed as Jack picked it up. "That's for you. I thought that the things on it would interest you." She said as Jack put the disk in his pocket. She looked at her watch and swore in Giaian. "Late for lesson, come on!" she said to them all as she ran to the empty room that Crystal was waiting. Gwen bowed and said her apology, asking permission if her friends could stay. Crystal smiled as she let them come in and they all sat down around a fire. Gwen closed her eyes as Crystal chanted something.

"I remember now Doctor, you were different back then, and I know who I am and what I did. I know what I have to do." Gwen said with her eyes closed. "But I can't do it… I know what will happen to me, like Jack knows about the future. I can't I am not strong enough!" she said as she levitated up. Crystal opened her eyes and looked at Gwen and her eyes became wide.

"No Gwen!" She cried as she waved her hand over the fire and put it out. She jumped up to Gwen and pulled off her communicator that was glowing and changing colour. Jack stood up and ran towards the pair of them and tried to grab Gwen, but there was something stopping him. He could hear them talking to each other in Giaian. Crystal snapped her fingers and Gwen opened her eyes and looked at her. She slowly floated down and Jack stood back. Gwen stood up and talked to Crystal briefly.

"The time draws near, I have to go and prepare." Gwen said to Jack as she left the room, clicking her fingers as her charm came out of Crystal's hands and floated towards her.

The Doctor went up to the child who was now crying. He bent down to her.

"Are you happy? This is what you wanted, it to be unlocked in her. It consumes her now! She is changing and she can't stop it. She can't do it; she is too scared, she refuses to do what you want her to do!" Crystal shouted at the Doctor. "How could you put her in so much danger, you of all people who loves her, you shouldn't have bought her here!" she shouted at Jack, tears still falling down her little cheeks. Jack looked at the child.

"Where is she?" Jack asked her.

"She has locked herself in the preparation room, in an hour, she will take the trial and then it will be all over." The child said in between sobs. Jack sighed and looked at Owen and Rose who were sitting there still in shock of what had happened. "How strong is she?" Jack asked Crystal.

"She is strong, but to do what you expect of her, it will not happen Captain Jack Harkness, it will destroy her in the end!" the child said to her.

"The necklace is more than a communicator isn't it?" The Doctor said to her, it was more a statement than a question.

"It helps her channel her powers. Without it she wouldn't be able to control them and it would be disastrous." She explained. "I pulled it off her and absorbed the excess power she was giving off. It has drained me, but it was too early for what you want to use her for." The Doctor looked shocked at the child. "I know everything, and she can also do what I can do now, so I would be careful about what you think around her, because if she knew it, she would kill herself." Crystal explained as she stood up. "Please follow me to the place where the trial takes place." She said as she walked out of the door.

They saw Gwen enter the trail room and the door closed behind her. "Now we can only wait. It should be about half an hour and if she is successful, the door will open and she will come out." Crystal explained as Zara joined her. "Mother, let us pray to the stars that she is." She said to Zara as they both bowed down to the entrance of the trail.

"And if she is not successful?" Owen asked, finally able to find his voice.

"She will not come out." Zara said in a low tone. "All we can do is wait." Jack paced around the entrance to the trial, looking at his watch all the time, praying that Gwen would make it out. Owen sat and waited with Rose next to him while the Doctor was talking to the child and Zara. Twenty-five minutes had passed and she had still not come out. Jack sighed and wanted to hit the Doctor for brining her here, for doing this to her.

"She is going to be fine!" the Doctor came up to him and patted Jack on the back.

"You knew this would happen, this was your intention all the time, to unlock what she can do. Who is she really? She can't be human if she can do all of these things can she?" Jack asked the Doctor.

"I am not sure, but I would love to find out!" The Doctor said to Jack as the door to the trial opened and Gwen walked slowly out. Jack ran and caught her in his arms just before she began to fall down.

"I did it." She said before she passed out. Zara and Crystal came up to her and Jack checked her breathing.

"She's alive, just tired." He said as he picked her up in his arms. "She said that she did it. Please, let me take her home now, that is all I am asking, no begging of you!" Jack said to Zara. She nodded and Jack too her to her room to get her things to take her home.

Gwen woke up on her bed and could hear someone in the background. She sat up and saw Jack grabbing her things into a knapsack that he had bought with him this time around. He looked at her and saw that she was awake and went and sat down next to her.

"Hey kitten, we are going home now, okay. Its over, lets get you back to the hub and in your bed and then everything will be fine. He said to her as he put one arm around her and pulled her towards him. Jack looked down at her necklace, it had changed colour to purple now. She closed her eyes and listened to Jack's heartbeat. She heard a knock on her door and said "come in". As she opened her eyes, she saw Crystal and Zara at the door waiting for her. Gwen stood up and went to them and they talked while Jack continued with the packing. Once they left, Gwen came back with a package and put it on top of the bag.

"I can't open it until we get back they say." She said as she reached for her clothes to change. Once she was ready, Jack grabbed the bag and they went to the TARDIS. There were a group of people waiting to see Gwen go. She had made many friends during her time on the planet. She went up to them and said her goodbyes. Crystal wouldn't let go, she knew what was going to happen.

"I will come back; I promise and show you my home okay?" Gwen said to the sobbing girl who hung onto her leg. Crystal let go and nodded. Gwen went into the TARDIS and soon she knew that they were back in Cardiff. She stepped out of the TARDIS and was greeted by the sun and a light sea breeze. Jack joined her and took her hand.

"It's great to be home!" she said as they walked the short way to the entrance to the hub.

The team were excited to see her and wanted to hear all about life on another planet. She spent most of the day talking about what she had learnt and also how she was able to cope with the difference in life. Jack retreated to his office and reached into his pocket and took out the holodisk that Gwen had given him. He put it on his desk and pressed play and watched what Gwen had left for her. Gwen looked up at Jack in his office and left him alone, thinking that he was more than likely confused about what had happened to her in the past five days. She was hoping that her holodisk would explain everything he wanted to know. It was her own diary of what she learnt to do during her time on the planet and also about her life and other things. The team members wanted her to show them what she could do, but she wasn't ready, all she wanted was to get outside and enjoy the air. She picked up her communicator and went out of the hub. She needed to collect her thoughts about what had happened in the past few days.

She stood on the roof of the building and looked over the night-time city. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. After a few seconds, a globe of light appeared in her hands and it lit up the place she was. She set it down by her feet as she stood on the edge of the roof.

"Who are you Gwen?" she heard the Doctor say from behind her. She turned to face him and saw that he had the same machine from last time in his hands.

"I don't know, I thought that all of this time I was normal, human, but now after all that has happened, I don't want to know, please I'm too scared of what the test will say about me." She said as tears slowly fell down her cheeks. She didn't want to know if she was part alien, this meant that there was always a problem with her in Torchwood. She stepped back and realized that she was at the edge of the roof. The Doctor came as close to her as he wanted.

"Please, I need to know!" he said, she sobbed as she held out her arm in submission. The Doctor took her arm and pinched it. Gwen grimaced in pain as she pulled her arm back and listened to the machine beeping. Gwen picked up the light glass that she had created and held it over the machine so that they could see. The machine beeped saying that it was finished.

"You are part Giaian. No wonder why you can do the things you can." He said to her, she smiled somehow.

"I need to know who my family are, I need you to take me back Doctor, I need to see who I belong to." She said to him.

"You are only a quarter Giaian, I can not promise anything to you Gwen. We should talk to Jack…"

"No, I don't want him to know. If they knew that I was part alien… there is no telling what they would do to me. I can not abandon him at this time but I need to know more. I know how to contact them, but I need to be alone to do this." She said to the Doctor. She could hear footsteps and saw Jack coming up to the roof.

He ran up to Gwen as he saw that she was crying and took her in his arms.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"Nothing Jack, the Doctor and I were talking about some things." She said as the Doctor slide the machine in his coat pocket. The Doctor turned and left them alone; he knew that Gwen had a lot to ask Jack.

"Jack, how long has Torchwood been around?" she asked him.

"It was founded at the end of the 1870's by Queen Victoria to keep an eye on alien life on this planet. We have database archives dating back to the beginning of the 1900's" he informed her.

"Can anyone enter the database?" she asked.

"Most Torchwood employees have access, am not sure if you do… why are you so curious now anyway?" he asked her as she wandered around the roof top.

"No reason, just wanted to find something out that was all." She said as she threw her light glass in the air and allowed it to hover above her hands. Jack watched her as she did this, amazed at how her ability had grown. She threw it up once more in the air and allowed it to hover where she stood. She looked at Jack and smiled. Jack came up to her and put his arms around her yet again. He knew that she had developed so much, but now more than ever he wanted to protect her from the world.

"Let's go out on a date!" he said, this took Gwen by surprise.

"But that is so normal for you. And we are nothing but normal!" she said to Jack.

"I want to try and make your life as normal as I can!" he said to her as he took her hand and led her towards the door. He stopped and turned to the light glass. "What about that?" he asked. She clicked her fingers and it vanished.


	4. An attempt at normality and the visit

A/N: Hiya, thank you all for the nice reviews. Here is another chapter for your entertainment. I don't own Torchwood, no matter how much I wish I did :/

Jack took Gwen down to their room in the hub and on the bed was something for her.

"I got it for you as a gift to say sorry. I will wait out here until you are ready. Don't take too long kitten, we are double dating tonight!" he said as she picked up the dress and went into the secret room that they had. Gwen opened the bag to the dress and saw the most amazing red dress she had ever seen in her life. It went all the way down to the ground and had spaghetti straps. Gwen took off her clothes and slid it on, the dress hugged her in all of the right places and it felt like a second skin to her. She put up her hair and quickly applied some make-up. She was putting in her earrings when a knock came on the door.

"I'm coming in if you are decent or not!" Jack said as the door opened. He stopped as he looked at Gwen as she stood up, he had never seen her so elegant and sexy in his life. She looked up to him and saw him shocked and walked over to him.

"Well, Captain Jack Harkness stuck for words!" she said to him. He stood there, shook his head as if to break a connection and smiled. He held out his arm and she hooked hers into it and they walked out of the hub.

The Doctor and Rose were standing outside of the TARDIS waiting for them. Rose was dressed also as elegantly as Gwen and both men wore a tux. Gwen went up to Rose as they compared dresses and the Doctor was able to talk to Gwen.

"How is she?" he asked Jack.

"She seems fine, but something has changed in her since the trip she went on." Jack said sarcastically. The Doctor nodded to him.

"We need to talk about her, she is the key Jack, but if she isn't going to do…" the Doctor stopped in mid sentence as the girls came up to them.

"So boys, you got us so dressed up, where are we going?" Rose asked them. The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out four tickets. Rose and Gwen took one and looked at them.

"And you plan to take us to a formal banquet!" Gwen said as she handed back the ticket. The Doctor opened the door to the TARDIS and signaled for them to enter. All of them went in and the Doctor began to start the machine. After a bumpy ride, the TARDIS came to a stop. The Doctor smiled at them all as Gwen rushed to the door and opened it. She stepped out into a hall and saw a lot of people stare at her. Jack followed her as he looked around the hall. He pulled out a ticket from his pocket and read it. He sighed; so many people would be here to represent their planets at this banquet. The Doctor and Rose came out and a person came up and talked to the Doctor.

"You can't park this here!" it said to him.

"Then move it, but take care the paint is starting to wear off!" he said as he walked off, leaving the person to take care of the TARDIS. The Doctor showed the host the tickets and they were announced in the hall. Gwen looked around the hall, it was half sheltered and half open onto the planet, overlooking the bright blue moon in the sky. She looked up at Jack who was taking everything in his stride as it was something normal to him.

"Welcome back Captain Jack Harkness." Someone said to him.

"Commander, it is an honor to see you!" Jack said as he let go of Gwen's arm and saluted.

"I take it the problem is taken care of now with the Enshi?" he asked Jack.

"Of course commander, everything is back to normal on Earth!" he said as he watched the commander's gaze go across to Gwen. "Excuse my rudeness, please allow me to introduce Gwen Cooper, she is a member of my team." Jack said as the commander extended his arm to Gwen. Gwen took it and curtsied.

"A pleasure to meet you commander!" she said as she lifted her head again. The commander was looking at her necklace.

"Paid a visit to the planet Gia I see." He said and she nodded. "So I assume that the Doctor is here too?" he asked Jack.

"'course I am!" The Doctor said from behind Jack. "Nice to see ya!" he said as he shook the commander's hand. The commander looked at the Doctor and sighed.

"Always a pleasure I guess." He said as Gwen looked around at the other guests and saw a familiar face. She smiled and excused herself from Jack and the commander and walked over.

"Zara, bless the stars!" Gwen said to the person from behind. Zara turned and took Gwen into her arms and embraced her. Gwen looked down and saw Crystal who curtsied at Gwen. Both were dressed in dresses made of gold, highlighting their red hair.

"I need to talk to you both, in secret if we can?" Gwen asked. They both nodded and Zara led them outside. Once away from the laughter of the party, they sat down on the chairs that Crystal created for them. "I found out that I am a quarter Giaian. I need to know how and why has no one told me." She said to them.

"Did you not open your present?" Zara asked her, Gwen shook her head, she forgot about it at the hub. "In there is something that will enhance your powers and you need to take it with you. It belonged to your great grandmother when she was starting to use her powers." She explained to Gwen.

"Who is she, can I meet her? Is she still alive? What about my grandmother what happened to her?" she was interrupted to Zara's hushing.

"Too many questions and not enough time to answer them all. Let me tell you this, your grandmother died on Earth as she established to the form of being human. We live longer than normal when we stay on our home planet, and we appear younger than you think. I have always waited for this day; I could not believe that the line died out on Earth, my great grand daughter!" Zara said as she embraced Gwen in her arms. Gwen sat there shocked until it finally registered, this was her great grandmother! Zara let go and Gwen sat, still in shock. "I know it is a lot to understand, and I could not tell you at the beginning, until you passed the trail. Who else knows?" she asked.

"Just me!" she heard a voice and turned to see the Doctor. Zara stood up and bowed at the Doctor. He went over and took Gwen by the hand and helped her up. Gwen looked at the Doctor and then back at Zara.

"She should return to us." Zara said.

"You know her role on Earth as much as I do, she will come home once a month to visit for a day, if Jack allows, but that will be in her time to explain it to him. In the meantime, let's go in and enjoy the banquet!" The Doctor said as he offered his arm to Zara. Gwen bent down and offered her hand to Crystal.

"So I guess this means that we are related?" Crystal asked. Gwen nodded.

"But not a word at the moment, not until I can explain to Jack who I really am!" she said to Crystal and the child nodded.

The Doctor led her back to Jack who was still talking to the commander. Once Gwen was back with them, she let go of the little child's hand, spoke to her in Giaian and the child went after the Doctor and Zara. Jack turned to her and looked at her.

"I saw some old friends." She said to Jack as he took her arm in his.

"Shall we join the banquet?" he asked, she nodded.

"Please, commander, after you." Gwen said as Jack led her aside. Gwen let her arm out of Jack's arm and went to talk to the commander. "So, may I ask where you are based?" she said. Jack came up beside her and put his hand in hers.

"Now Gwen, don't speak out of turn!" he warned her.

"No, Jack it is fine. I am not based on Earth as you more than likely knew, but I am afraid that I can not tell you the location, only Torchwood leaders can know, like your friend Jack here!" he said, and she blushed.

"I am sorry commander; I didn't mean to speak out of turn as Jack said." She explained.

"It's okay Gwen, I have heard that you are somewhat special too though, I mean the link with the Enshi must have been some toll on you. What have you been doing since?" he asked her as they sat down.

"I spent some time in Gia as you guessed by the necklace and made some amazing friends and learnt so much." She said, Jack was not sure if he wanted Gwen to tell the commander about all of her powers. "I have learnt how to control certain… abilities." She said as she looked at Jack. She didn't want to reveal everything to this stranger.

"Well, as long as you are back to normal after everything that happened." He said.

"Yes, the people at Gia helped relieve me of that experience!" she said as food began to arrive. She looked around for Rose and the Doctor and saw them over a few tables to the left of them, in conversation with some other beings that Gwen had never seen before. She smiled at them and turned her attention back to Jack who was talking to the commander about some boring things.

Gwen started to daydream when she heard a voice say in her ear "boring isn't it?" she turned and smiled at the person sitting next to her. "It is all politics and politeness; we meet once a year for a grand banquet and talk about things and negotiations with other races while we are here." He continued to say. "I am sorry, where are my manners, my name is Squid, like the creature from your planet." He said as he extended his hand. Gwen took it and shook it.

"My name is Gwen, pleased to meet you." She said to him.

"So, what are you doing here then?" he asked her.

"I am here as Captain Jack Harkness' escort so to speak." She said as she turned and pointed at Jack who was still talking to the commander.

"Ah, the Time Agent. Haven't seen him in a long time, where is he now?" he asked.

"We are from Earth, we work together." She said, not wanting to give away too much information. The man just nodded. "And yourself, where are you from?" she asked.

"I am from one of the moons of Saturn and have traveled here to see friends and like most politicians make treaties and alliances with other planets." He said to her as she turned back to her food.

Gwen didn't know what to make of all of the different people around her. Once she had finished eating, she went to search for the Doctor and Rose, only to see them giggling with someone else. Not wanting to disturb them, she went up to the bar and ordered a drink. She looked over the vast hall and saw loads of people and aliens alike talking to each other; she couldn't help but think that somehow, she belonged here. She felt someone pull on her dress and she looked down and saw Crystal.

"Did you tell him yet?" she asked as Gwen picked her up and put her on the chair next to her as she was too little to climb.

"No, he is always busy talking about work." Gwen said to the little girl as she watched her play with a purple flame of fire. "Put that out! What would your mum say?" Gwen said as she waved her hand over the flame and extinguished it. Crystal pouted at Gwen as she relit the fire and Gwen once again waved it out. "Do it again, and I will freeze your hand next time!" Gwen said with a smile on her face to the child. Crystal automatically pulled her hand away and smiled at Gwen. Gwen turned and saw Jack coming up to her. "Remember, not a word little one!" Gwen said as Jack put his arm around her.

"There you are kitten!" he said. Jack looked down at Crystal "always a pleasure little one, where is you mother?" he asked.

"Somewhere around! I better go and find her!" she said as she kissed Gwen on the cheek and jumped down. "See you soon!" she said as she walked away. Jack pulled Gwen in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Sorry about all of the work stuff, how are you doing?" he asked her as he took her arm and led her to the dance floor.

"Fine, was able to meet some interesting people, learnt some nice things!" she said as the music played and they danced.

Gwen allowed her head to rest on Jack's shoulder. She looked around and saw the Doctor dancing with Rose who also had her head on his shoulder. She smiled and closed her eyes, allowing Jack to lead her around the dance floor.

"Jack, what is the Torchwood procedure for aliens, I mean friendly ones, are they locked away or allowed to be free on our planet?" she asked him as she lifted her head from his shoulder.

"We allow them to live among humans if they can, track them on case anything happens to them for medical reasons, especially if they are using a cloaking device. Otherwise we help them get home safely."

"What about ones who look like humans already? Looking around, many of the people here already have human form, maybe something different but not visible to human eye."

"We still track them in case they need us, they know where we are, well the ones we can find. There are always some who we can not identify."

"Hmmm." She said as she put her head back on his shoulder. Jack knew that something was wrong and he took Gwen off the dance floor and outside.

"Okay, what is going on? Why all of a sudden interest in Torchwood alien procedures? You know most of them already, but the ones you were asking today isn't something that normal Torchwood members know." He asked her as she looked up to the moon.

"Jack, I love you no matter what, and I hope that you love me too!" she said to him. Jack went up to her and hugged her.

"Of course kitten, no matter what happens I am always here for you and will do anything to keep you here forever with me if I could…" he said to her, Gwen let out a loud sigh before lifting her head up and kissing him passionately. Jack let out a small moan as he pulled her closer and pushed his tongue in to probe her mouth. Gwen allowed Jack to explore her mouth with his tongue and melted in his arms. After a few minutes, she pulled away, both of them breathless from the kiss.

"Jack" she whispered "I know why I can do the things I can do, I know who I really am now." She said to him. Jack pulled her to look at her face.

"Tell me, I want to know, I need to know!" he said to her.

"I am a quarter Giaian, I am not sure what happened, but my grandmother came to Earth and stayed. I wanted to know what you would do with me before I told you, so that was why I was so interested in all of the procedures." She said to him. Jack looked at her in the eyes _I am not kidding, I just found out today._ She said to him in his head. Jack smiled at her.

"I knew you were special, you always were! It's perfect, this is supposed to happen, and we are supposed to be together, its destiny!" he said as he pulled her closer to him.

Gwen breathed a sigh of relieve, glad that Jack was okay with everything and didn't want to do anything to her. "We can't tell the team, I am not sure how they would react to me after they find out…" she left it trailing off.

"They wouldn't treat you any different kitten. I mean, they work for me and you know that I am not exactly from this time." He said to her. "I am so happy that we know why and how you can do these things! I love you so much and I promise that I won't let you go!" he said as he hugged her tighter.

"I am so happy to see your affection for her Jack, but there is one thing that we must ask of you." A voice said from behind them. Jack turned and saw Zara as Gwen bowed low. Crystal ran up to Jack and held out her hands.

"Up please!" she said as Jack bent down and picked her up. "Better view from here!" the child said and Jack smiled. Zara went up to Gwen and put her hand under her chin lifting up her face.

"You have done well. You know who your family are and have found someone who will protect you and love you until the last breathe leaves him." Jack snorted at this remark.

"Not possible your highness!" Jack said to her. Crystal slapped his face playfully.

"Why?" the child ask.

"I can never die!" he said to the child "a result of being bought back to life by the TARDIS." He explained. Zara stood up and held out her hand to Gwen. She took it and stood up from where she was. Zara smiled at Jack.

"Then you will love this news, neither can Gwen!" she said to him, Gwen pulled away in surprise and nearly tripped over her dress.

"Excuse me, did you just say that I can never die?" she asked Zara. Crystal was clapping her hands at Gwen's reaction and turned to look at Jack's face, whose mouth was wide open.

"Close your mouth, otherwise the files will come, and trust me, not from this planet!" Crystal said as she lifted Jack's jaw up to close his mouth. Jack looked at the child and then at Zara.

"What's the catch?" he asked her.

"All I ask is that Gwen comes back to our planet one day a month to absorb the sunlight that gives us this gift. As she is quarter Giaian and passed the test, this is possible and will prolong her life. She already has healing capabilities with her powers; however they are not strong enough for fatal wounds unless she does this one thing." Zara explained to them both. Crystal clapped her hands, happy that she would always be able to see Gwen. "There is another thing that I ask of you." Zara said to Jack.

"Name it, I have no idea how I can repay you for all of this news that you have given me!" he said to her.

"I want you to take Crystal back with you. She has been dying to see the planet and I am sure that she would love to spend time on Earth until Gwen comes at the end of this month." Zara said. Crystal looked shocked and screamed. Jack closed his eyes, wishing that he could close his ear drums too.

"Sure, sure fine! Anything to stop this thing from screaming!" he shouted and Crystal automatically stopped. Crystal wiggled out of Jack's grasp and went over to Zara and hugged her.

"Thank you mother!" the child said as Gwen went over to Jack. He put his arm around her and she smiled.

"Well, I have to be going home now, Crystal, be a good girl for Gwen and Jack, I am sure that they will show you everything!" she said. Crystal and Gwen both bowed at Zara and Jack saluted to her as she disappeared into the night.

Gwen kissed Jack lightly on the lips and went up to Crystal and took her hand.

"Come on we have to go find our other friends and go back too." Gwen said as they went in search of the Doctor and Rose. Once they found them, the Doctor looked at Crystal.

"We making a stop off at Gia for you then little one!" he said to her. Crystal pouted.

"No, I am allowed to go back to Earth until Gwen has to go back to Gia for the day!" she said to him, the Doctor looked at Gwen and she nodded. He smiled as he opened the door to the TARDIS and they all went in.

"So, who in here is actually human?" he asked, and Rose raised her hand. She saw that Gwen did not and looked at her.

"Not completely, I found out today." She said to Rose, and she smiled.

"So that is why everything happens to you!" Rose said and Gwen laughed.

"Wow, seen a TARDIS, but never been in one!" Crystal said as she looked around. Rose smiled.

"Well, please allow me to give you the grand tour, you too Gwen!" she said as she reached down and picked up the child and Gwen followed leaving the Doctor and Jack alone.

"So, she is part alien. How did you take it?" the Doctor asked Jack as they powered up the TARDIS.

"So much better than you expected. It was as if I was supposed to find her, supposed to love her, and now with everything that has happened to her and everything that is happening to her, I can not be anymore happier. I no longer feel empty, she finally fills the void and will do for the rest of our lives!" he said as he helped the Doctor power up the TARDIS. "How does it feel with Rose?" he asked.

"Like we were made for each other, but unlike her, I can regenerate, I know that one day, I will lose her and then what I am supposed to do? Move on, find another companion, but there will never be another Rose, no one to fill my void." He said as they heard their footsteps coming back.

"Ready to go?" Rose asked them, the Doctor smiled at her and flipped the lever as the TARDIS started to move.

Cardiff was something that Crystal never dreamed of. When they let her out of the TARDIS, she looked over the bay and saw the water and sky, just as the sun was coming up.

"Only one sun?" she said to Jack, who had to laugh.

"Get used to it kid, now, let's get some sleep. I always hated banquets like that, but we had to go!" he said as he picked up the sleepy child and took Gwen's hand. They said goodnight to the Doctor and Rose and headed to the hub. Jack looked at the child in his arms; she was beginning to fall asleep.

"Where are we supposed to let her sleep?" he asked.

"Can she not sleep with us?" Gwen asked Jack, he smiled and nodded.

"But don't get used to it, it's only until we get a guest bed, I fear that she will be visiting us more often!" he said as the doors to the hub opened. They walked to their room and put the child on the bed and covered her with the blanket. Once that was done, Jack looked at Gwen. She was so beautiful in the dress and his minds started to think of things he wanted to do to her. She was looking in her bag that they had bought back from Gia as he came up behind her and put his arms around her waist.

"Have I told you how sexy you look in that dress." He growled in her ear, Gwen smiled.

"Not in front of the child!" she said as she faced him and kissed him on the lips.

"Then don't tease me that way!" he said to her as she turned back to the bag and found what she was looking for, the present. She took it out and put it on the table. She knew what was in there, but she had no idea what it looked like. She opened it, and saw a bracelet with a small teardrop shaped crystal on it. She picked it up and the crystal instantly changed colour in her hands. She put it on her wrist and watched as the crystal continued to change colour. She turned to Jack and went up to him. "Would you mind?" she asked as she pointed to the zipper on her dress. Jack smiled as he undid the dress and watched it fall to the ground. Jack took in the image of her nearly naked body and touched her soft skin. She shivered at his touch and reached for her t-shirt and slid it on. "I'm sorry, but I am tired, and now we have a child in the room. I better get some sleep!" she said as she kissed Jack on the lips. He took her in his arms and laid her on the bed next to Crystal. He covered her with the blanket and she fell into a dreamless sleep, happy to finally be home.

"Do you ever sleep?" Jack turned and saw Crystal looking at him as he was on his computer. The child came up to him and he picked her up and sat her on his knee.

"Nope, gotta be ready, gotta be alert at all times." He said to her. "Where's Gwen?" he asked.

"Sleeping still. So what is this place?" she asked. Jack smiled.

"This is where we work." Jack said to the child

"And where you live too!" the child stated.

"Like I said, someone has to be ready at all times." Jack said as he locked his computer. "Would you like me to show you around?" he asked her, the child nodded and jumped down from Jack's knee. Jack held out her hand and she took it and he started to give her the tour of the hub. Gwen awoke and saw that Crystal was not there. She put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and went to find her. She saw Jack and Crystal in the medical bay. She smiled as Jack showed the child around the hub. She went down to them and Jack came up and kissed her. "Morning, did you sleep well?" he said to her, she nodded. Crystal came skipping up to them and pulled on Gwen's jeans.

"I haven't got any clothes apart from my dress!" she said to her. Gwen bent down and smiled at the child.

"Well then, I think its time we spent some of Uncle Jack's money!" she said as she looked up at Jack and smiled. He sighed and rolled his eyes as he went to his coat to get them some money. "And on the way, let's got and get Rose, I am sure that she would love to join us!" she said as Jack came down and gave Gwen some money.

"That is coming out of your pay!" he said to her, she waved her hand dismissively, as her and Crystal left the hub to wake up Rose.

The three girls wandered around town, taking Crystal into all of the different shops to find clothes for her. Crystal was so amazed by all of the new things that Gwen had to remind her constantly not to wander away from her and also not to use her abilities in public. "Why?" the child asked her.

"People on this planet would not understand what is happening, so it is better not to." Gwen had explained to the child as they continued walking down the high street. Once all of the money that Jack had given her was gone, she went to a cash machine and got some of her own money out and they went to lunch. Crystal wanted to try all of the foods possible, but Gwen wouldn't allow her to, finally she chose a small restaurant near the river. Gwen remembered this place; it was one where the team went to when she started working at Torchwood. She smiled as they went in and ate.

Jack looked up as the hub doors opened and saw the three girls walk in. Crystal stopped as she saw that there were more people there and hid behind Gwen. Gwen, who was laughing with Rose looked up and saw all of her friends and work mates and saw the reaction from Crystal.

"Its okay, they are my friends." Gwen said to the child who was still hiding behind her.

"What if they don't like me?" she asked.

"They will, now come on and show them how pretty you are!" Gwen said as she took Crystal's hand and walked with her into the hub. The first person to come up to them was Ianto.

"May I take those for you Gwen?" he asked, she smiled and nodded as she gave him the bags.

"There is something in there for the team." She said as she pointed to one of them, Ianto smiled as he looked at the name on the bag. "And this is Crystal. She has come to stay with us for a while. Crystal, this is Ianto, he looks after us, makes sure we don't make a mess and gets us to places on time." Gwen said, Ianto laughed.

"I try my best to. Nice to meet you Crystal, would you like some juice?" he asked her, she nodded and Ianto left them to attend to the things Gwen gave him. Gwen saw Owen in the medical bay; he had just come up the stairs to see what was going on. "This is Dr. Owen Harper. He fixes us when we get hurt." Gwen said to her as Owen bent down and shook the girl's hand. Crystal blushed as Owen pulled out a lollypop from his pocket for her. She took it and ran and hid behind Gwen again. Owen stood up and gave Gwen another lollypop too. "You are such a charmer!" Gwen said as she took the lollypop from Owen. He went back down into the medical bay and continued examining something that Gwen did not recognize. She went up to Tosh who was at her computer. "And this is Tosh; she is a computer genius and can get us access to anything and everything!" Gwen said as Tosh blushed slightly.

"Wouldn't say everything, but I do try!" she said as she bent down to the child. She smiled at her and Crystal put her now sticky hand on her face.

"You're pretty!" she said and ran off up the stairs to where the Doctor, Jack and Rose were.

Gwen looked up at the child who was now levitating balls to the Doctor and laughing at him. She smiled and then turned back to Tosh.

"So, what's the deal with baby sitting?" she asked.

"It's a favor for someone." Gwen said.

"Well. She isn't exactly human, I mean she can do what you can and she looks like a child, but I can tell that she is older than she appears." Tosh commented to Gwen, who nodded in agreement. Gwen smiled at Tosh and walked over to where Ianto was preparing drinks for everyone.

"I wasn't sure what Crystal would like, so I just poured her some lemonade." He said to Gwen, she nodded.

"I am sure she will like it as it is something that she has never tried before." She said as she took a tray from Ianto that had the drinks on and he took the tray with the cakes and sweets that Gwen had got. They put them on the table as Ianto went up to the conference room to tell them that everything was ready. Gwen went to get Tosh and then to Owen. She went down into the medical bay to see what he was working on.

"It happened while you were away in Gia, another Weevil attack. If we could find them all…" he said to her.

"And then what? Lock them all in the cells? There is no way of finding out how many of them are out there!" She said to him, he sighed and nodded in agreement. "Come on and have some cake with us." She said as she went up the stairs, quickly followed by Owen. They sat down on the sofa and Crystal went and sat on Jack's knee. "Looks like someone likes you!" Gwen said as the little girl turned a deep purple. She reached over for a coffee, but Jack put it down.

"Not that one, this one is for you." He said as he handed her the glass of lemonade that Ianto had poured for her. She looked at the bubbles as they went up the glass and sniffed it. "Try it, you will like it!" Jack said as he took his own coffee. Crystal drank a mouthful and laughed as the bubbles popped in her mouth. After this, she drank the whole glass and put it on the table and reached over for a cake. She looked into Jack's cup.

"What's that?" she asked him.

"Not sure if you would like this, it's called coffee and it's more for adults, and a person of your size… it could make you go hyper, so I am not going to risk it!" he said as he pushed the coffee away from her. Crystal pouted as she looked over at the people she had met.

"So what do you do here?" she said to them all.

"At the moment, nothing!" Owen said and Jack threw him an evil look. "Well, it's true, the rift has been somewhat quiet and only the one more weevil attack…" he said, Gwen suddenly woke up from her daydream.

"Rhys! I completely forgot about him!" she said as she put down her coffee and grabbed her keys and ran out of the hub. She started her car and made her way to the hospital.

She looked into the room and saw Rhys sitting up and someone else was with him. She knocked on the door and entered.

"Gwen, there you are! I have been trying to get hold of you but your phone said it was turned off." He said to her, she smiled.

"Sorry, I have been out of town." She said as she put the flowers she had bought in a vase. "These are for you." She stated. Rhys looked at her.

"Oh, sorry, Gwen, this is Tasha, Tasha, this is Gwen." He said as Tasha stood up and shook Gwen's hand.

"Nice to finally meet you." She said and Gwen smiled at her. Gwen pulled up a chair and sat at the other side of Rhys.

"So, you feeling better I see." Gwen said.

"Yes, I should be discharged in the morning. Met some of your workmates as they questioned me about the attack. I didn't see you, I wasn't sure if you were avoiding me after all of the things that have happened. None of them would tell me where you were, just said that the information was classified." He said to her and she smiled. "That Captain Jack Harkness really knows how to make a person feel welcome!" he said to her.

"That's just Jack, he has been going through a rough time with me being away and stuff." She said as she heard the door open. She turned around and saw Crystal popping her head through the door.

"What are you doing here?" Gwen asked. "And how… no actually, I know how you got here young lady so don't tell us!" Gwen said as she scolded the little girl.

"I'm sorry, but Uncle Jack was worried and I just…" she said as she snapped her fingers. Gwen felt her phone vibrating and she reached into her pocket and answered it.

"Hello. Yes she is here. I know, I'm sorry didn't expect her to do that. No, I'm fine, just paying Rhys a visit. Yes, of course, I will be back with her in a few minutes." She said as she hung up the phone. Crystal had gone up to Rhys and sat on the bed.

"Why doesn't Owen make you better?" she asked him.

"I have other doctors who made me better." Rhys said to her. Gwen went over and took Crystal by the waist and picked her up.

"Just like that, you worried Uncle Jack little one!" she said to her. "Come on, lets go home, say bye to Rhys and hope that he gets better soon!" she said. Crystal waved goodbye as Gwen left the room.


	5. The unexpected attack

The drive back was a quiet one; Crystal was excited to be in a car but knew that Gwen was not in the mood. "How did you know I was there?" she asked the child.

"When I want to know where people are, I just concentrate on them and then teleport to where they are to see them." She said to Gwen. Gwen pondered this for a minute, thinking that this ability would help her out a lot. She pulled up to the hub and took Crystal back in. Only half of the team was there and Gwen turned to Ianto.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The Doctor caught a sign of some alien life on Tosh's computer and the team have gone to track it down." He explained. Gwen sighed as she went over to Tosh.

"How is it going?" she asked.

"It's on the move, whatever it is, it's pretty small!" Tosh told her. Gwen went over to her desk and grabbed her communicator.

"Jack, location, tell me where you are?" she said into it.

"Landing site of the third comet, not sure if you would remember that." He said into the communicator, Gwen remembered it well. "Tosh, Ianto, will you keep an eye on Crystal please. Crystal, no following, not this time okay, I am sure Ianto will show you what a TV is." She said and Crystal nodded as Ianto reached for her hand and took her over to the coffee area. Gwen closed her eyes and concentrated on Jack and the location that they were. She felt herself being pulled and once the feeling went away, she opened her eyes and saw that Jack was only a few meters in front of her. She ran to catch up with them.

"How did you get here so fast?" he asked her. "Never mind, see that light, that is what we are trying to catch, not sure what it is but is there anything you have in your pocket, a trapper rock would be perfect about now!" he said to her as they continued running. Gwen reached into her pocket hoping that she had something. She could feel a pebble and pulled it out and handed it to Jack. He grinned at her as he looked into his hand. "Would you mind floating it over there?" he asked her, she shook her head as the pebble left Jack's hand and she shot it over to the light and activated it. The team ran up to the light as it couldn't go anywhere due to being contained in the force field.

"Now then, what is that thing…" the Doctor said as he came up to the barrier. The light flew at him. "Feisty little thing you are!" he said as he put his glasses on. "Cute too, but is that just an illusion?" He said as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He turned it on to see if he could read anything. "Any way to get this thing back to the hub?" he asked Jack. Jack nodded.

"We can make this force field smaller if I remember correctly." Jack said as he picked up the rock and pressed a button making the field smaller. He handed it to the Doctor who looked at the rock.

"Nice technology, where is it from?" he asked Jack.

"No idea, found a load of them in the rubbish in a tin with some other alien junk." He said as they walked back to the SUV. Once they were there, Jack informed Tosh that they were coming back to the hub. "Is Gwen with you?" she asked "One minute she was here and then gone, like Crystal was." Jack looked at Gwen and she smiled.

"Yes, she is here, don't worry, and just make sure that little one doesn't pull one of her tricks!" Jack said as Owen started the SUV.

"Oh, don't worry, Ianto is busy with her, and Rose has just come into the equation too. They appear to be having fun!" she said and the team headed back.

Crystal skipped up to Jack as they came back in the hub and held her hands out to Jack to be picked up.

"Not now little one, ask the Doctor." He said and she did. He picked her up and Crystal looked at the light that they had in the force field.

"Oh, a pixel!" The child said as she wiggled free from the Doctor's grasp. "Can I have it?" she asked Jack.

"That all depends if it is a good one or a bad one!" Jack said to her. "You can tell me, what is it? What does it do?" he asked.

"This one… it was a healing one, but now… someone tried to change it, it's not good Jack, get it away from me!" the child said as she ran to Rose who was coming towards them. She picked up Crystal and looked at the Doctor.

"More information needed on these things and if there is a possibility if there are more of them." Jack said to Tosh. "Doctor, what can you tell me about them?" he asked.

"Not much… need to think a bit more about these. Have heard of them, but never seen one up close…" he said as he looked at the contained pixel. It turned red as it charged into the force field again. "How long will that thing hold?" he asked.

"Not sure, when the power runs out. Don't worry, have a containment unit downstairs to keep this little fella in!" Jack said as he gave it to Ianto. "Lock it in the special place!" Jack said to him and he nodded. Gwen went up to Crystal.

"It's gone now, nothing to be afraid of." She said to the child. Crystal turned and saw tears falling down her eyes. She looked around and saw that Gwen was telling the truth and she wiggled herself free from Rose. "Now, how about Owen, Rose and I show you the bay?" she asked the child, she smiled as she went up to Owen who just picked her up without being asked.

The trip out helped Crystal relaxes after her encounter with the pixel. Even though she was older than how she appeared, she still had the feelings of a child sometime. Owen and Crystal went ahead as Rose and Gwen stayed behind to talk to each other.

"So, when are you going to tell them?" Rose asked her.

"I don't know, I mean I look at the way they are with Crystal and see that they treat her no differently from a human child, but for them to work with an alien? Even though I am only a quarter alien, I am not sure how they would react." She said as they went down onto the sand near the bay.

"Well, Jack isn't exactly human is he?" Rose said to her, she nodded.

"We don't know what he is, and he won't tell us either. He looks human, has human bones, organs and so on, but he never tells us if he really is human!" Gwen said as she saw Crystal run close to the water and Owen quickly after her.

"I am sure, that they would treat you no different than before. I mean they are your friends as well as your team mates, maybe you should be honest with them." Rose said to her, Gwen nodded in agreement and allowed her thoughts to be carried in the sea breeze. Owen and Crystal played at the front of the water as she sat down and Rose joined her.

"Tell me, what is it like traveling with the Doctor?" Gwen asked.

"It's like the most amazing thing in the world for me. Every day is a new adventure or a different location, past, present or future. To be honest, this is the longest time we have spent in one location. We have good reasons to as well; the TARDIS could have done with a recharge. Seeing Jack was just a bonus. And now we were able to help you find out who you really are…" Rose trailed off, wondering how to continue. "But I know, that one day, I will not be able to keep up with him and then what will I do? I can't leave him, I don't want to but at the same time, I don't want to become a burden on him!" she said. Gwen put her arm around Rose and hugged her.

"I am sure that you both will find a way, I see the way he looks at you, it's like Jack and me, we complete each other." She said as Crystal ran up to Gwen soaked.

"I got wet!" she said. Gwen sighed as she closed her eyes and held out her closed hand. She produced a red flame that gave off more heat than she intended. She crouched down in the sand and put the flame in a hole that Rose dug. Crystal sat in front of the flame as Owen came and joined them.

"A fire, just what I need!" he said as he sat down next to Crystal, also wet.

The fire began to die out as Gwen was not in the mood to control it anymore and let it go. Both Owen and Crystal were nearly dry and Gwen looked up at the sky and watched the sun go down.

"So Crystal how was your first day on our planet?" Owen asked her.

"So many new things, so much different from home." She said as she looked at him. "But I love it here, with Uncle Jack and Gwen; I know that we are going to have fun before we have to go home." Crystal said. Gwen looked at her and told her not to mention that at the moment in her head. Owen looked at Crystal.

"Who is we, I thought that you were the only one from Gia?" he asked, Crystal let out a little laugh.

"Of course, just me. I made a mistake that was all!" she said as she stood up. "Up Owen, I'm hungry and tired, take me somewhere nice!" she said as Owen stood up and picked her up. Gwen waved her hand and the fire went out and Owen looked at her.

"Yes, I created it Owen." Gwen said to him as they walked back to the hub. Tosh and the Doctor were over the computer trying to see if anymore of the pixels had come through the rift. Jack saw them come in and came up to Crystal. She ran to Jack and hugged his leg. Jack put his hand on the child's head and smiled at Gwen. "Hungry Jack, feed me!" she said to him and he laughed.

"Okay, we will order pizza. Ianto, if you don't mind, the usual for Gwen and myself and whatever the Doctor, Rose, Tosh, Owen and yourself would like. I am sure that Crystal can take from the different pizzas. Now little one, tell us about these pixels." Jack said as he picked her up and took her over to Tosh's workplace and sat her on the table.

"There are good ones and bad ones. The good ones are there to protect us from wars and shelter us from bad things. There is a planet of them but I don't like going there, there are more bad ones. But I heard my mother saying that they were being taken and changed, good ones to bad ones giving off the illusion that they are good, when they really hurt people." She said to them, Jack listened to her intently.

"What about the bad ones, what do they do?" he asked.

"They make people sick, sometimes kill them. They cause pain and hurt to people." She said. "I don't like them; we don't use them anymore on our planet, even the good ones. We can heal ourselves anyway." She said to Jack. Ianto bought a glass of lemonade to the child who took it and drunk it in one gulp. Jack allowed her to jump down from the table as she walked around the hub.

The Doctor looked at the child as she walked away. "She knows a lot Jack; let's see if she knows about other things too." He said as he went up to the child. "What am I Crystal? Where am I from?" he asked her.

"Time Lord, last of them as they were killed in the great time war a long time ago. I remember hearing about it; I wasn't very old and was just learning about other people in the galaxy. Gallifrey was your home planet located in the constellation of Kasterborous. I heard that it was really pretty!" she said to the Doctor who smiled at the child.

"Yes, it was. Do you know what this is?" he asked as he handed her something.

"Sonic screw driver. A bit old isn't it, also battered. Is it for me?" she asked the Doctor, he shook his head and took it back.

"Sorry kid, need this. How about him, who is he?" he asked as he pointed at Jack.

"Uncle Jack? He is Captain Jack Harkness, was a Time Agent but that is all I know, we don't like Time Agents, and they would come to our planet and sometimes take our technology." She said as she looked at Jack, he laughed and smiled.

"Yeah, sorry about that!" he said to her and Crystal smiled at him. She went up to Gwen and held her hand.

"Gwen, can I tell them about you?" she asked, she nodded; it was time that the truth came out. "Okay, and this is Gwen, she is my umm…. I don't know how to say it, anyway she is related to me!" she said, Tosh, Owen and Ianto stared at Gwen in amazement.

"That would mean… you are an alien?" Tosh asked and Gwen nodded.

"Only a quarter." She stated as she picked up the child. "I know this may shock you and I hope that you won't treat me any differently than before!" she said to them as she went over to Jack. Tosh stared at her and then at the crystal hanging on her bracelet. She had to blink her eyes as she saw it change colour.

"Did that just…" Gwen nodded.

"I don't know why, but it does that all the time." She said as Crystal came up and looked at it.

"Oh, you are so lucky, mother said I was not allowed one and yet you have one!" she pouted. "But it is so pretty; this will help you do so much!" Crystal said as she touched the gem. "It's warm; mother said that I can create my own when she takes me to the mine to get a rock to start with!" Crystal explained to Gwen.

"What does it do?" Tosh asked ash she came over and looked at it.

"It enhances our powers and also sometimes it feels our emotions and if we are not careful, our emotions take over and bad things can happen." She said to Tosh. Tosh took the small gem in her hand and watched it.

"It's fascinating!" she said to Gwen. She smiled as Ianto came back with boxes of pizza.

The whole team ate their pizza, Tosh and the Doctor still over the computer and Crystal taking different slices from different people.

"Be careful, otherwise you will get fat!" Rose said to the girl. The girl looked at Rose and smile. Once all of the pizza was gone, it was nearly midnight. Crystal had fallen asleep on Gwen's lap while the Doctor, Jack and Tosh were still scanning the rift. Rose stood up and yawned, stretching as she did.

"Can you take her; I think my legs are going to sleep!" Gwen asked Rose as she pointed to the girl. Rose picked her up and Gwen stood up and stretched her legs. She took the girl from Rose who was still asleep and took her to her and Jack's room. She put the child on the bed and pulled the blanket over her and watched her as she curled up in a ball.

"Let's go somewhere where we can be alone." She heard Jack whisper in her ear. "Rose said she would make sure Crystal is fine. Come on kitten." He continued as he took her hand in his. He grabbed his coat as he led Gwen out of the hub, shouting to Owen and Ianto to go home. He took Gwen outside and they began to walk around the area until they came to the woods nearby. Jack led Gwen deeper into the woods until they came to an opening where a river was flowing. Gwen looked around as she heard the river flowing and could hear the pebbles beneath her feet. She looked up at Jack who smiled.

"A little light if you please." He said as she closed her eyes and created a light glass for them both. She looked at Jack who pointed over to the side. She gasped as she saw a blanket laid on the pebbles and a bottle of champagne with glasses.

"I asked Ianto to prepare something for us." He said as he led her over to the blanket. Gwen threw the light glass in the air and it hovered above them, lighting the area around them. Jack took the bottle of champagne and opened it. He picked up a glass and poured her one; handing it to her he picked up the other one and poured himself one. He put the bottle back in the cooler and looked at her.

"A toast, to us. Finally alone and that we found each other." He said, Gwen smiled as they clinked their glasses together. She waved her hand over the globe and the light dimmed and she changed the colour to purple to create a more relaxing atmosphere. She put her head on Jack's chest, listening to his heartbeat mix with the flowing water near them.

Jack looked at the river and then at Gwen who was lying on his chest. He sipped some of the champagne and began to stroke her head. He was amazed at how much she had grown and accepted her new life.

"What is it like Jack, never being able to die? I mean having to live forever, watching people around you as they pass on. I don't know how I would be able to handle it, but now that I have the same ability… Sometimes I wish that I could pass it on to someone who deserves it. Rose will pass on and the Doctor will continue to travel. He would never be able to fill that void once she is gone. What will happen to her when she realizes that there is nothing there, just darkness surrounding you? I can't bear to see that happening to her, she deserves more!" she said to Jack as she sat up. Jack stroked her head again and shushed her.

"I know kitten, but that is nature, the way that the world works. The Doctor will grieve, but then he has to move on, he still has three more regenerations and that could take a long time before he regenerates. No matter how much we want someone to stay with us, at one point we have to let go. I feared of doing the same to you if you were to pass over…" Jack said, he couldn't complete his sentence. The thought of losing Gwen would hurt him so much and now that he knew she couldn't die like him, it was like a weight lifted from him.

"I don't know if I will be able to do it, watching the world change and things happening." She said.

"If this world should get destroyed, or something bad would happen, I would take you away from that, to another world." He said as he pulled her closer towards him. Gwen took one gulp of her champagne and finished the whole glass; she wasn't driving back so she didn't worry. She put the glass on the blanket and stood up. She walked up to the river and took her trainers off and put her feet in the cool water. Jack came up behind and stood next to her.

"If you don't go back to Gia every month, then you would be like a normal human, your alien DNA would not be given a chance to absorb the sunlight that you need to keep you from healing." Jack said to her.

"What if I can't get back, the Doctor isn't always going to be here." She said, Jack sighed; this was something that he was working on, hoping that he would get it fixed in time.

"You can teleport, but it's too dangerous to try and do that to another planet. We will come up with a solution as soon as we can kitten, don't worry about it." He said as he put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. Gwen smiled as she put her arms around him.

"Do you like to fly Jack?" she said as she waved her hand and they started to lift off the ground. Jack looked down and tightened his grip on Gwen and she laughed. "Take that as a no." she said as she waved her hand for a second time and bought them both back to the pebble covered beach.

Crystal awoke with fear in her eyes. She hated that pixel and hated the fact that it was near her. She bent down and put on her socks and went out of the bedroom. She tiptoed down the stairs into the main hub and saw the Doctor still at the computer with Tosh while Rose was talking to Owen in the corner. She waved her hand and made herself invisible as she walked past the desk. The Doctor reached out his hand and put it on her shoulder. "Where are you going young lady?" he asked her. She waved her hand and made herself visible again.

"To the bathroom!" she said. The Doctor looked at her. "The bathroom isn't there one in Jack's room?" he asked her. The little girl sighed. "I wanna go and look at the pixel." She said to him, hoping that her cute look would have an effect on him.

"Not alone you are not. If you can communicate with it that would be better so we can find out if anymore are coming our way!" he said as he took her hand. "Come on, lets go!" he said as he led her down to the containment cell. "And don't try any of your tricks on me, I can see right through them!" he warned her as they went to the cell. The Doctor led Crystal down to the containment unit of the pixel and she went up to it. The pixel floated down to her level and she looked at it.

"Why?" she asked it. It started to make a funny buzzing sound and the Doctor guessed that it was talking to her. "But if you hurt me then…" Crystal looked at the pixel who buzzed at her some more. "Who sent you?" she asked it and it replied. She looked at the Doctor and cried. "I wanna go now!" she said as he picked her up and took her away from the pixel.

Gwen and Jack came back to the hub hand in hand and looking happy.

"I see the time did some good!" the Doctor said to them. Crystal came running up to Gwen and spoke to her in Giaian.

"Slow down!" Gwen said as she picked Crystal up and she started from the beginning. Gwen listened to the child as she explained what had happened. Jack went up to the Doctor and whispered "what are they saying?" The doctor shrugged. "Something happened Jack, the pixel talked to her, but she never translated to me." He told Jack as the two continued their conversation in Giaian. Gwen took Crystal in her arms and whispered something; the child went limp and was asleep in Gwen's arms. She took her to the bedroom and laid her back in the bed and went to find the Doctor and Jack. Tosh, Rose and Owen along with Jack and the Doctor had gathered around in the conference room waiting for her to come back.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked her.

"She's fine; I put her to sleep as she was too distressed to sleep. Something isn't right, the pixel told her it was sent to hurt her." She explained to them as she sat down. Jack wandered around to his computer and put up the image of the pixel in the containment unit. It was floating around, but also changing colour. Gwen went up to the screen and spoke to it in Giaian, hoping that she would get some form of response but nothing happened. She sighed as she looked at Jack. "She can't stay here, if she is in danger, then she needs to go back to her home planet. She is going to be devastated to hear this, but she can't come to Earth if someone is going to try to kill her." Gwen said, and Jack nodded, he knew that she was right. Jack swore in a language that she didn't understand, but the Doctor did and looked at him. "Sorry" he mumbled. He knew how important it was for Crystal to come to Earth to see Gwen, but also that it did so much for her to see family. "No, we won't let this happen, Gwen, I want to know who sent it!" he said.

"I already know, it said to Crystal something called Squid." She said as she sat back down and tried to remember why that name sounded so familiar.

The team worked into the night, trying to find out if more pixels were going to be sent or if there was something in space hiding from them, but so far they had come up with nothing. Gwen retreated from the hectic hub to the rooftop where she always liked to go as it reminded her of the first day with Jack. She didn't want Crystal to go home and now the fact that someone is trying to inflict harm on her made her mad. She felt something warm against her wrist and realized that the gem was reacting to her emotions. She took off the bracelet and held it in her hands. She closed her eyes, unsure if this was going to work as she concentrated on the bracelet, forcing it to do her will.

"Show me the path the pixel took to Earth." She whispered to it and the gem glowed as she opened her eyes. She looked in the sky and saw an orange vapor of the path where the comet had landed. She needed beyond that, she needed it in space. "Further, show me more!" she said to the bracelet and again it glowed. She looked up in the sky and still the orange vapor was there. She felt her phone vibrate as she took it out of her pocket to answer it.

"Is this your work?" she heard Jack's voice over the phone. "What do you mean?" she asked him. "Well, on NASA satellite images, a line of orange has appeared." He said, she smiled and resisted the urge to laugh. "Yes, that would be me, follow it Jack, I am not sure how long it will last." She said as she hung up and put the phone back in her pocket. She went back to her thoughts as she knew she had heard "Squid" before, but where she was not sure of and how was the pixel able to track Crystal down on Earth anyway? She closed her eyes and allowed the warmth of the necklace that she had on to take her back in her mind. It was there, all of a sudden she remembered, but she was not sure where and why he wanted to do this. She put on her bracelet and ran down to the hub as quickly as she could.


	6. And the plot thickens

A/N: thank you all for the great reviews and for everyone who put me on alert. Remember, I own nothing, that all belongs to RTD and the BBC! Please read and review!

"I remember it was him!" she said as she ran through the doors. The team looked at her as she wasn't making any sense to them. She looked at Jack and ran to him. "He was at the banquet, he sat next to me while you were talking to the commander." She said, hoping that it would shake Jack's memory, when he still looked at her blankly; she put her hand in his and sent him the picture in his mind. He looked at her as he began to see the image in his head and then she let go. He remembered him now. He looked at Gwen and then at the Doctor. "What do you know about someone called Squid; he was at the banquet a few nights ago?" The Doctor paused as to think in mid sentence. "Nope, nothing at all. Need more details." He said as Gwen went up to him and took his hand, sending him the image of the person she had spoken to. The Doctor looked at her as she let go, she was pale and using too much power. She looked at him just as her eyes rolled up and she passed out into his arms. Jack swore in a language that only the Doctor understood as he took her from his arms. "Overdone it hasn't she?" Jack said and he nodded. "Tosh is the orange vapor still there?" she nodded.

"But it's not staying, in fact its fading." She said as she looked at her screen as quickly as she could try to see if she could find out where it ends before it completely disappeared. "Sorry Jack, could not follow it to the end, but we have stopped somewhere that I have never seen before." She said as she bought the image up onto the main screen. Owen came up to Jack and took Gwen from his arms to the medical bay. "She has lost a lot of weight." Owen commented. "You should keep an eye on that Jack." He said as he took her away.

Jack went up to the screen and hit the wall, first Crystal, now Gwen passing out and now the trail going away. He looked at the place that Tosh had circled, where the trail had ended when it began to fade. He knew that place, had been there before a long time ago when he was a Time Agent. It was close to a place he once called home, but that was before everything happened. The Doctor looked at the image and then at Jack. "No, I am not going there and neither is my team." He said to him and he nodded. Jack sighed; he knew that he had to though. "Tosh, search the database for this Squid guy. Once Gwen hopefully wakes up, we can give you an image of him, or depending on how many alien matches we have…" he trailed off.

"I don't have access to the Torchwood alien base Jack, you need to enter the code." She said as she looked at the screen.

"Password please." The computer asked them. "Captain Jack Harkness Torchwood 6239" he said to it.

"Password accepted, welcome Captain, how may I help you?" Tosh looked at the computer, surprised that it was reacting to his voice. "Guest list of all people present at the last banquet and their planet of origin." He said to the computer. "Processing, estimated time for complete list 20 minutes." The computer replied to him as it went and did his request. Tosh looked at the computer. "Is everything alien tech around here?" she asked. "Nope, this is Earth tech, just a bit more advanced than this century's anyway." Jack said to her as Owen came out of the medical bay.

"She is stable, I gave her something to help her wake up, but it doesn't seem to be taking effect. I took some blood, I think you should see this Jack." He said to him as he walked back down into the bay. Jack followed him, closely followed by the Doctor.

Owen led them to a microscope and Jack looked in. "It's changing; her DNA has a few extra cells now." Owen said. Jack looked again and then at Gwen. He moved away so that the Doctor could have a look. "The alien cells are active in her, but why now?" Jack said. "She absorbed the sun at Gia, that's why it is visible now." The Doctor said as they heard a moan coming from Gwen's bed. Jack went up to her bedside and took her hand in his. "Gwen, relax its okay, you passed out." He explained to her. She rubbed her head as she sat up on the bed. She looked at Jack and then at the Doctor and tried to smile.

"You know what is happening right?" Jack said to her, she shook her head. "Your DNA is changing to accept the Giaian DNA that you have had stored. I am not sure how this is going to be for you…" he said the Doctor interrupted him "Gwen, this is going to be painful and I am not sure how long this will last, I am hoping just a few days so whenever you feel something, tell us okay?" he said, and she nodded as she sat up. Owen looked at Gwen who was not who she used to be when she started at Torchwood. He looked at Jack "I want to keep her here, for observation." Owen said to him, Jack sighed. He was hoping that there would be no prejudice against her as she began to change but he knew that he could not guard her forever.

"No Owen, I won't allow this, she is fine!" he said Owen walked up to him. "She is not eating and her DNA is changing Jack, how can you say she is fine when medically she is not!" Owen yelled at Jack. Both of the men were face to face until Gwen managed to put herself between them.

"I am fine, Owen if I feel sick, pain, or anything else, I will stop but until then, we have to find this guy and I am going to cause pain on him as he has never felt before!" she said as her bracelet glowed red. Jack saw this and knew that she was not happy.

Gwen walked away from the two men and she knew she wasn't okay, she could feel pain in her stomach and also in her head, but she was more determined to get back at this Squid person who was trying to hurt Crystal that she did not care about what happened to her. She walked past the rest of the team who were looking at the computer doing something and went into Jack's office. She sat down at his desk and moved his mouse and saw his computer come to life. It was locked which annoyed Gwen. She knew that she could unlock it, but she chose to respect Jack's privacy and went down to check on Crystal. Rose was down in the room looking over the child. "How is she?" Gwen asked. "She is sleeping like a little angel, but I guess that was your plan." She said as Gwen walked around the room and grabbed a few f her things. "The team doesn't know do they? That you and Jack live together here in the hub." Rose said, and Gwen just silently nodded her answer. "Not sure how they would react, I mean it is kind of a lot for them to take in that I am part alien, but to tell them this. We don't know." She said as she looked up at Rose. "But where are the rest of you things? I mean this room is small!" she said. Gwen smiled as she waved her hand and the wardrobe moved, revealing the door that led to the room where most of their things were. Rose smiled and looked back down at Crystal who was still fast asleep. "How long will she be out for?" Rose asked as Gwen turned to leave. "Until this is over, then I will wake her up. Would you mind taking care of her, I have some unfinished business with this Squid person!" she said as she went out of the door and grabbed her coat.

The two men were still having a staring contest at each other, trying to see who would break first. Gwen's stomach became painful as she let out a gasp and grabbed the rail of the staircase as she was walking down to the main part of the hub. She breathed in deeply, hoping that no one had noticed her. She felt a hand over hers and looked up to see Ianto. "Are you okay?" he asked her silently, he knew that the situation for him to raise his voice was not one for the moment. She nodded as he reached out and helped her down the stairs. "I will get you a peppermint tea, that will help your stomach okay?" he said, again she just nodded as she went up to Tosh. "Those two still staring at each other I see!" Gwen said to Tosh who looked up from her book. "What is the computer doing?" she asked.

"Jack has it gathering a guest list from the banquet that you went to a few days back to find this Squid guy and go and hurt him by all accounts. He isn't happy about someone causing you pain is he?" she said as she put the book down and the computer said "List completed." And Tosh called Jack over. Jack looked away from Owen and up at the two girls who were waiting for him as the computer needed verification. Jack went up to it and said to the computer "task complete." And the computer beeped back at Jack as he moved the list into the main Torchwood database that the rest of the team could access. They looked thought the list quickly as it was in alphabetical order and they soon found out who he was and where he came from. Jack turned at the Doctor and looked at him. "This place, you know it?" he asked, the Doctor nodded. "Same galaxy as my home planet, well when it was there. I'm surprised that it wasn't destroyed in the time war along with some of the other planets." He said to Jack. He nodded as Gwen walked over to the amour cabinet and pulled out a gun and started to load it. "Where do you think you are going?" Jack asked her.

"To cause some serious pain on this guy. Once I am done with him, he will wish that he never ever crossed anyone in my family!" she said as she put the gun into her holster. Jack could tell that she was really angry at this, he could understand why, when someone wanted to hurt her, all he wanted to do was to punish them.

The Doctor looked at Gwen and then at the profile of the person she was so mad at and smiled. "I know just how to do it without leaving Earth!" he said to Gwen as he grabbed her hand "just need a little help from your power and then he will be sorry!" as he took her out of the hub. Jack quickly followed them as they went to the TARDIS. Once inside, the Doctor started to make some adjustments with his sonic screwdriver. "Right Jack, if you are going to stick around, make yourself useful and adjust the power output from there!" he said as he pointed to the console. Jack looked around and saw what the Doctor wanted him to do and started to work. Gwen stood around bemused as the two boys worked. She moved back as they walked around the TARDIS and worked. She didn't know what was happening or what the Doctor wanted her to do. "Jack, give me your computer." He said. Jack stopped as he took off the band on his wrist and threw it to the Doctor. After a few minutes with his sonic screwdriver on it, he threw it back to Jack. Jack looked at it and then put it back on, the Doctor smiled at him "I forgot to tell you something, I'm a genius!" he said as Jack pushed a few buttons and looked back at the Doctor. "You fixed it, but how?" he asked. "Next part of our plan, plug that into the console, we are going to bring a friend to us!" he said as he threw Jack a wire and he plugged it into the port on his computer. The Doctor then went up to Gwen and took her towards the console. "How are you feeling?" he asked her, she just nodded unable to speak as she felt sick to her stomach now. "Okay, I need you to link with the TARDIS and Jack's computer should do the rest. Send it the image of this guy and he will be here in the blink of an eye!" he said as he stood back. Gwen took a deep breathe as she closed her eyes. She found it easy to link with the TARDIS, mainly due to the flow of Jack's life energy that was going through her. She sent it the image of the person who was trying to kill Crystal to the console and she felt it pull her power. She began to sway and Jack wanted to go over to her, but the Doctor stopped him as he went himself to hold Gwen up. The TARDIS started making some noises and the Doctor signaled to Jack and he pushed the button on his computer. Gwen went pale as she felt more of her power being pulled away, and then, there was nothing.

The Doctor took Gwen in his arms; she had passed out from the connection. However in front of Jack, stood the guy they wanted. Jack smiled at him and held out his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness and you are the guy who is trying to kill a friend of mine!" the eyes of the newcomer went wide and he began to run. Jack was quicker and grabbed him before he could go anywhere. "Nope, not today, there are some people who would love to meet you!" he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some handcuffs that he had. The Doctor looked at him questionably. "Always got to be prepared." Jack commented as he took the guy out of the TARDIS followed by the Doctor who was carrying Gwen. Once they were in the base, the Doctor put Gwen in the medical bay and Owen rolled his eyes. Jack gave the newcomer to Ianto who too him down to the cells and locked him away and he went to see Gwen.

"My fault this time Owen, the TARDIS took too much from her." The Doctor explained to him as he laid her down on the bed. "She should wake up in a few hours, let her sleep." He said as Owen turned to Jack. Jack was not in any mood for a confrontation, Crystal was asleep due to Gwen, she had now yet again passed out and they had an alien in their basement locked away in a cell. "Owen, just go and check on the newcomer, make sure that he is okay and then I want a report about him on my desk." Jack said as he went up to Tosh. "I need to ask you to monitor the cells, make sure Owen doesn't do anything stupid, just until I get down there."

Darkness surrounded her; all she could hear was the humming of something in the distance. She called out but got no answer. She walked around, physically knowing that she had done too much and that someone or something was holding her back, stopping her from waking up and retuning to the people she loved. She could hear the humming getting louder, and she recognized it, the TARDIS was talking to her.

"Why are you keeping me here?" she asked into the shadows

"I need to you remember, and to look after someone special for me." It said, talking back in her head.

"What do I need to remember?" she asked again into the shadows

"Who you are and where you come from. You have met the Doctor before, in Cardiff; a Christmas Eve night!" the TARDIS said to her.

"But how can I remember if that part of my memory seems to be erased?" she asked. She got no reply, and the humming was fading, but she could now hear footsteps and they were getting closer. Someone was approaching her, a light that she had never seen before and Gwen gasped when she saw who the cause of it was.

Rose had closed her eyes just for a second, but that was enough for the humming to start. She knew that somehow the TARDIS had gotten into her head again, not like it always wasn't there but stronger this time. She could hear a voice in the shadows however she could not call back no matter how hard she tried; nothing came out of her mouth. The TARDIS said something to her "you need to help her Bad Wolf!" and then, Rose remembered, and light began to engulf her body as the Bad Wolf took control. She moved forward remembering who she was and why she was here and the Doctor, her love, her eyes started to fill with tears as she remembered everything. She walked towards the other person who gasped when she recognized who she was.

"Rose!" she whispered before the TARDIS released her hold on both of the women.

Gwen woke up, gasping for breath like she hadn't breathed in a long time. Tosh stood by her side and grabbed her hand in an effort to calm her down.

"Rose, she…" was all she could manage before she heard the humming in her head again "please, don't tell anyone about my lady, she needs to be protected like you."

"Rose is with Crystal Gwen, they are down in Jack's room, both are safe, don't worry." Tosh said as she pushed Gwen back down on the bed. "Jack, Owen and the Doctor are down in the cells. Ianto is making you something sweet to drink; he insists that it will help you regain your strength." She said as Gwen was trying to get out of bed and down to Crystal. Tosh pushed her back "you need to stay in bed, whatever it is, I can get it for you." She said to her. Gwen stopped struggling and laid back down, the humming still in her head, but she could feel more, she could feel the Earth spinning and it was going to make her sick.

"Rose, and Crystal, I want to see both of them." She said, Tosh nodded and went down to get them. Gwen looked up at the ceiling of the medical bay that she was in and silently asked the TARDIS to stop the spinning sensation. She heard a friendly, but sorry humming noise in her head and the spinning stopped as suddenly as it had started.

Rose stirred when she felt someone shaking her shoulder gently. IN the distance, she could hear the voice of someone waking her up. She opened her eyes and saw Tosh standing next to her.

"Sorry, I must have dosed off!" she said as she wiped her eyes and looked down at Crystal. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"We got him, but Gwen had to pay a huge price. She is awake now but very weak, but is asking for both of you. Will you be okay with Crystal?" Tosh asked as Rose stood up and looked down at the sleeping child and picked her up in her arms, and followed Tosh to the medical bay where Gwen was resting.

Gwen thought about her dream and what the TARDIS had said to her. She was amazed that Rose had such a hidden secret and that she could feel the power of the Bad Wolf radiating from her. She thought that Rose was… well normal, but it seems that the TARDIS touched her in a special way, changing her forever, just like the Enshi had done to her, but without the sadness, death and pain that she went through, she would not have found out who she really was, well at least what she really was. Gwen sighed; she knew that all of these things had happened to her for a reason, the Enshi taking control of her, Jack bringing her back to life with his life energy and now, the Doctor, Rose, Crystal and Zara entering her life, discovering her abilities. She turned on her side and allowed the tears that were building up in her eyes to flow freely. She had no reason to cry, the events of everything coming back to her, trapping Squid, and now, communicating with the TARDIS. She was sure that Jack had a role to play in this, being brought back to life from the heart of the TARDIS and passing his life energy onto her… this was the only explanation that she could think of. The tears flowed more freely and all she wished was that she was no longer here. As if knowing how she was feeling, her bracelet glowed and she vanished from the medical bay.


	7. Visiting known places & meeting friends

A/N: Not sure if there are still people following this, but I have been concentrating on my Sailor Moon fic at the moment as I have a writers block with this one. Disclaimer: own nothing except the new characters. Please review, I need something to cheer me up more than ever at the moment.

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Tosh and Rose entered the medical bay and saw Gwen fading away and then vanishing. Tosh ran to try and grab hold of her but she was already gone. Tosh touched her ear piece

"Jack, we have a situation in the medical bay. It might be best if you come up here." She said as Rose ran up to the bed as fast as she could also trying to grab hold of Gwen, shouting her name as she went. Rose felt a single tear leave her, worried for her friend and knowing that the TARDIS had given her a mission to keep an eye on her. She put Crystal down on the bed where Gwen was. The child did not stir, still asleep under Gwen's spell so that she would not get hurt, but without Gwen, there was no way for the child to wake up. They heard the footsteps from Jack running into the medical bay.

"Where is she Tosh?" he asked

"She… vanished Jack, she just faded away." She said as she left Rose's side who was starting to sob. Jack went up to Crystal and put his hand on her forehead and could tell that she was burning; something was troubling her in her dreams. "When did this start?" he asked. "Just now" Tosh answered as she touched her earpiece and told Owen to get up here. "Where were you Tosh, I told you not to leave her alone!" he said as he walked up to her. Tosh, scared backed away from Jack. "I'm sorry, she wanted me to get Crystal and Rose, she wanted to see them, and as she was so weak, I didn't think Jack, she was trying to get out of bed to see them and I didn't want her to collapse! I'm sorry for caring!" she shouted at him. Jack backed down, realizing that he was scaring his teammate; he calmed down and put his hand on Tosh's shoulder. "You did the right thing, I'm sorry." He said as Owen came running in the medical bay after hearing the shouting, the Doctor following him.

Rose, sobbing silently to herself heard the humming of the TADRIS getting louder. Her body started to glow. She couldn't let them know who she really was, so she closed her eyes, trying to push back her power. The light faded and so did the humming of the TARDIS. She stood up, not realizing that she would be weak and stumbled. She sat on the side of the bed, hoping that no one saw her. She looked around, Jack talking to Tosh, Owen and the Doctor coming in and Crystal tossing and turning on the bed. Owen went up to the child and felt her head, and confirmed what Jack said, she was burning up. Owen then looked at Rose, who was still pale from controlling the Bad Wolf; she could not let her be unleashed here. He put a hand on her shoulder and led her to a chair. The Doctor came up to her and ran his sonic screwdriver over Rose.

"I'm fine, just tired that's all, I haven't been sleeping well!" she said to him and he nodded; noticing that there was nothing different in the readings. He then went over to Crystal as Owen was inserting a needle into her vain in the hope to get fluids into her. He scanned her too with his sonic screwdriver.

"Gwen, she is burning up because of Gwen. We need to find her Jack, I am not sure what is happening but we need to find her." He said as he used the sonic screwdriver to try and pick up any trace of where she had gone. Ianto went over to Rose and gave her a sweet cup of tea "this may help you regain your strength Bad Wolf." He whispered to her. Rose eyes widen as she dropped the cup, causing it to smash. Everyone turned to look at her "my fault, I let go too early" Ianto said as he cleaned up the mess "Its okay, I won't tell anyone, you're secret is safe with me." He whispered to her as he bent down and cleaned up the mess. He went off in order to get people drinks; he could tell that they were going to be in for a long night.

Gwen screamed and opened her eyes and she felt something cold beneath her. She looked up and saw two suns setting in the distance and a moon rising. She saw ships flying around and knew that she was no longer in her time or her planet. She sat up and bought her legs up to her chest, allowing the breeze to dry her tears as they continued to fall down her cheeks. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into the eyes of a man who was half cat.

"Can I help you miss, are you hurt?" he asked her. She shook her head. He held out her hand, and after scanning him, she could tell that he was no danger to her and allowed him to help her up.

"Please, tell me where I am, I am kind of confused at the moment." She said as she stood.

"Sorry, where are my manners, my name is James, and this, is New Earth the year, five billion twenty three." He said as he smiled at her "Time Agents like you are very rare never thought that they allowed females to join!" he said as he looked at her.

"Sorry, my name is Gwen and I am not a Time Agent! I… I don't know how I got her, but I don't belong…" she stopped, her head pounding from all of her power being used, she looked up into the strangers face, tears still falling down her cheeks "help me" she whispered before passing out.

Gwen awoke and saw that she was lying down. She could tell by the smell that she was in a hospital and could see other aliens around her. Sitting on a chair beside her bed was James and he sighed in relief as he saw that Gwen had come around.

"Its okay, you are in a hospital I didn't know where else to take you and we were close anyway." He said as he stood up and pressed a button. A nurse came in, who was also a cat and checked Gwen over.

"My lady, there is someone who wants to see you here." She said as she bowed down to Gwen. Gwen, who was not used to this reached over and touched the nurse "stand, up, I don't deserve being bowed down to" she said as the nurse stood up. She went red and walked out and James looked at her. She smiled as she tried to sit up, her head still throbbing from exhaustion. She didn't know anyone in this time, so why would someone want to see her? The nurse came back in with a wheelchair and helped Gwen into it. As she was being pushed away, she turned to face James.

"Thank you, if it wasn't for your kindness, I don't know what would have happened to me. Here." She said as she closed her eyes and created a purple crystal in her hand. Both the nurse and James gasped in amazement as the light in her hands dimmed and she opened them to revel the gem. She handed it to James. "I don't know what else I can give you, but please, take this small token for your kindness." She said. James, taking the gem out of her hands bowed down to her and Gwen was pushed away to see this person.

The hospital was interesting to her, seeing different kind of aliens here, it would have been fun if Jack, or Crystal came. She gasped as she remembered that she had left Crystal… she had no idea how she was going to get home, and once again the tears fell freely. She sobbed and let out a little laugh, all she was doing recently was crying due to her own misfortune, but what about other people, she felt selfish thinking about herself, however this did not stop the tears from flowing. They stopped outside a door, and the nurse knocked. She entered, leaving Gwen in the hallway and closing the door behind her. The door opened a few moments later and the nurse came back and pushed Gwen into the room. Before her was a head in a jar, but she could tell from the aura that he was older than anyone could know. The nurse stopped her chair in front of the person and Gwen turned to her, she bowed and left the room.

"Gwen, is it really you?" she could hear. She stood up and walked unsteadily on her legs to the person. She reached out and touched the glass and felt the pain and happiness coming from him. She collapsed on the floor, exhausted from so many things and sobbed.

"Please, tell me how to get home! Why am I here! I just want to return to Jack!" she said to the person in between sobs.

"I need you to pass on a message to the Doctor for me Gwen and I also need to tell you something before it's too late. Remember who you are, you are the key to stopping it all!"

"I've been told all of this, but how can I remember when no one will explain to me what I am supposed to do!" she said, looking up to the person. His face softens, taking pity on her.

"I am the face of Boe, a friend of Jack's you could say. Gwen, he misses you so much, I can feel his pain even though we are so far away from him and his time. You need to fix the rift, the time lines before everything is destroyed, planets, alternate universes, you need to fix this." He said to her, she looked into his eyes and she could see all of the ages that he had lived, all of the planets that he had seen destroyed and the sadness began to fill her once again.

"Tell the Doctor that he needs to beware of the Master. Tell Jack to follow his heart into the fire." He said to her, she didn't question his meaning and stood up, still shaking on her legs as she began to walk out.

"Princess, to get back, just hold on to what you want and you will be able to return home. The time vortex is dangerous, and it was amazing that you survived the trip. Be careful, you are needed there more than here." He said, she nodded and opened the door and left. Once in the corridor, she slid to the floor and cried; she knew that he wasn't going to live much longer and he would give his life to save so many.

Jack and the Doctor were running around while Tosh was checking her computer for rift activity. Rose had stayed with Crystal and Owen was trying his best to break her fever.

"Gwen, no!" the child muttered in her sleep. Rose took hold of the girls hand and squeezed it "hold on Crystal, Gwen will be back soon, I promised" she whispered in the child's ear as she stroked her hand.

Gwen sobbed on the floor, and felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw a nurse. She reached out her hand and helped Gwen stand up and took her back to her room. Gwen knew that she had to get back, she wanted to get back. She thanked the nurse for her kindness "I don't have any money here, but please accept this crystal" she said as she handed her a red one.

"Princess, here you don't need to pay anything!" she said as she handed Gwen back the crystal, but she waved it away

"Then donate it to a charity, I am in no need of it. Thank you." She said as she closed her eyes and thought of Jack. As she felt the same sensation as before, she opened her eyes and saw that the nurse was bowing, she waved as she vanished.

She opened her eyes and saw that she was at the water tower. She could hear footsteps running towards her and before she could turn, she felt arms wrapped around her. She breathed in the scent that she knew too well and wrapped her arms around her Jack. She looked up at Jack, tears in her eyes and once again fainted. Jack picked her up and took her down to the hub and placed her on the bed next to Crystal. As Gwen felt the softness below her, she opened her eyes and saw that she was home. She looked over and saw that Crystal was still sleeping, she whispered the spell and reached out to the child, whose eyes automatically shot open and she began to take in deep breaths.

"Crystal!" she heard Rose say before sleep took hold of her and she was taken into the warmth of the darkness, protected by the humming of the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Jack spent the next two days watching over Gwen as she slept, Rose had taken the role of looking after Crystal, taking her out of the hub, accompanied by Ianto so that she had someone with her. The Doctor was not taking any chances of leaving both of them alone, he had seen what the few hours had done to Jack and he could not bear to lose Rose. Jack had refused to eat until he knew that Gwen was going to wake up. Owen was not sure if she was in a coma, or just sleeping from exhaustion, but as it turned to the third day that Gwen was unconscious, Owen started to get more worried and was calling on the Doctor more than normal to check on her. It wasn't until night time on the third day that Gwen stirred. Jack was by her side and stood up; reaching to his communicator waking Owen up telling him that Gwen had finally woken up. Her eyes opened and she looked up at Jack.

"Hi Kitten, welcome back." He said as he helped her sit up.

"How long have I been out? No, wait, I have to see the Doctor, I have a message for him, and for you!" she said as she began to remember and panic set in. Jack put his hand on her shoulder and tried to push her down.

"Gwen, relax it can wait until the morning." He said as he began to hear footsteps. Many people had taken to sleeping in the hub to be around in case Gwen woke up, she saw Owen come in followed by the Doctor. She stood up and ran to the Doctor and hugged him. He stood there; eyes went huge and wrapped an arm around her as she began to sob.

"The face of Boe, I met him, I was there, New Earth." She said and the Doctor's eyes went even wider he put his hands on Gwen's shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"What did he say Gwen?" he asked

"A message, "beware of the Master" he said to tell you that" she said as she then looked around and saw Owen. She left the Doctor to think about the message and went to Owen and embraced him too. Owen hugged Gwen, happy that she had finally woken up. Gwen pulled away and kissed Owen lightly on the cheek and looked at Jack. He was still sitting, next to the now empty bed where she was lying moments ago. She walked up to him and hung her head.

"I'm sorry I left, I needed to go and clear my head." He said, she was expecting him to lecture her, but instead he put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him.

"I have a message, the face of Boe; he said he was a friend of yours. He told me to tell you to "follow your heart into the fire". He said you would know what I mean." She said as she pushed herself gently away. Ianto came down and made everyone some coffee. Jack took Gwen to the boardroom and everyone who was up followed him.


	8. Secrets revealled & things taken care of

Soon the boardroom was full of everyone except Rose and Crystal. Tosh had told Gwen that both of them were sleeping and she didn't want to disturb them, and so with everyone close to her, she began to tell her story of the future and the face of Boe asking to see her. Once she was done, the team went back to the main hub and could tell that the sun was starting to rise as the light filtered through the cracks from the water tower. Gwen smiled as she grabbed Jack's hand and ran out of the hub towards the harbor. She allowed the sun to shine on her, warming her up as Jack came up towards her and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her warm.

"Why the future, and New Earth?" he asked her, Gwen shrugged.

"Something was pulling me there; I guess it was the face of Boe as he wanted me to be a messenger for him. Jack it was wonderful there it really was!" she said as she sighed and closed her eyes. "I just wish that I could have helped him too." She whispered to herself. And allowed a few tears for him flow freely down her cheeks. Jack heard this and pulled her closer; she opened her eyes and allowed him to embrace her as the sun began to rise higher in the morning sky.

Crystal awoke to Rose sleeping next to her. She touched her face and shook her.

"Wake up Rose, want to see Gwen!" the child said as Rose began to stir. Rose opened her eyes and looked at the child

"Then lets get dressed and we will go and see her okay little one?" she said, Crystal smiled, nodded and the both of them got up, dressed and headed out of Jack's room towards the main part of the hub. When they got to the medical bay and saw that Gwen was not there, panic set into Crystal and she began to cry. Owen went over to the little one and picked her up, pulling a lollypop out of his pocket.

"She is with Uncle Jack outside; she will be back in a moment." He said as he rocked the small child in his arms and the sobbing subsided at the sight of the lollypop. The sound of the doors of the hub could be heard and Crystal wiggled out of Owens's grasp dropping the lollypop that he had given her and ran over to see Jack and Gwen. Crystal let out a little sob as she ran up to Gwen, crying her name and as she got to Gwen, she was greeted into open arms and picked her up. Gwen held onto Crystal, never wanting to let go as Jack rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently, he went over to Tosh and the Doctor who were looking at something on the computers. Rose walked up to Gwen and smiled, Gwen looked up and saw Rose standing there and walked to her, with Crystal still in her arms and hugged her tightly.

"We need to talk sometime, about things." Rose whispered in her ear, Gwen nodded as the two pulled apart and Crystal stopped crying. She looked down in her hand and saw that her lollypop was gone. She looked innocently at Gwen and Rose and the tears threatened to come again.

"My lollypop Uncle Owen gave me is gone!" she said very loudly. Owen, upon hearing his name came up to the girls, took Crystal out from Gwen's grasp and gave her back the lollypop that she had discarded. Crystal opened her eyes, looked at the lollypop and smiled, kissing Owen on the cheek.

"Down please! Want some lemonade!" she said to Owen as he lowered her back to the ground. Ianto came up and took her hand and led her to the sofa area.

Gwen and Rose went up to the computer and Gwen could finally see what they were looking at. She gasped, she had forgotten about him.

"It worked!" she said, the Doctor turned to her and nodded. He took her hand and led her down to the cells so that she could finally meet him. Gwen stood in front of his cell as he looked up at her and smiled.

"A pleasure to see you again Gwen!" he said as he bowed. Gwen wanted to reach in and slap his face.

"Princess to you if you please!" she said.

"And where do you get off using such a title?" he asked as he stood up and walked towards the cell door.

"Well, considering that my grandmother is ruler of her planet, I think that I am allowed to. Now please tell me why you want to kill my relative?" she asked as she approached the cell door, the Doctor standing behind her, taking in how mature she had grown.

"And I should tell you because…"

"Well, I hold it something personal to myself when someone tries to kill someone close to me, now we can do this the easy way, or the fun way, well the fun way for me and my friends, I am sure we have some things that Jack has been wanting to test out, there's this particular type of gas that we are not so sure about, it's kinda pinkish colour, looks really cool… what do you think Doctor, should we ask Jack to bring in the canister?" she said as she turned to the Doctor who smiled.

"And what makes you think that I am up for ideal threats princess?" he said, spitting out the last word. Gwen smiled.

"I have ways to make people talk and my friend, well let's say he has had enough experience of being a torturer long enough to use earth methods to extract information. Now we have made sure that you are healthy and also that you are under our supervision now. This pixel will be taken care of and the interplant council will be alerted. I am sure that they will see our side of the story a lot better than yours. Now if you excuse me, I have no need for wasting my time with scum like you!" Gwen said as she walked away from the cell and back into the main hub.

The Doctor followed Gwen back into the hub as she grabbed her coat and turned to the others who had watched everything via the computer. She pushed the button and walked out of the hub and into the open. She was mad, she couldn't stand being in the hub any longer, feeling like she was about to suffocate under everything that has been happening. She walked around until she ended up in Cardiff town center. She was in her own world when she bumped into someone. She looked up to apologise and saw that she was looking at Rhys.

"Gwen, how are you?" he said to her as she mumbled her apology.

"Fine, thanks, and you not long before the big day I guess." She said as she put on a fake smile. Rhys let out a little laugh and ran his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, look you want to go and grab something to eat, you look starved!" he said, she smiled again and nodded as he led her to a little café nearby. Rhys ordered her a chocolate milkshake and a burger as well as a coke and burger with chips for himself. Gwen starred out of the window watching the people pass until the waitress bought their drinks over.

"So, how's special ops?" he asked.

"Fine, I have been out of duty for a while, gave me a chance to… travel." She said as she sipped some of her milkshake, realizing that she hadn't eaten anything in over four days. Rhys watched as she finished the milkshake in one long gulp and ordered another.

"Sorry, haven't eaten in a few days!" she said as the food came. "So, tell me more about everything." She said. Rhys started talking about the wedding preparations while she ate her food and looked out of the window. She saw Jack standing across the street and all of a sudden she could hear Rhys calling her name.

"Gwen; Earth to Gwen. Have you been listening to anything that I have said?" he asked. Gwen looked back at him and smiled.

"Of course, so I guess that the nerves are starting to set in." she said as she flew a quick glance out of the window and saw that Jack had disappeared.

"It just feels right, I mean, it would have felt right with us too." He said as he reached out and touched her hand that was on the table. Gwen blushed at the gesture and removed her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Rhys, stop living in the past, I mean we can be friends, but you knew that it wouldn't work, not with Torch… I mean special ops getting in the way, I mean I hardly have time to myself at the moment, everything is so busy… so much has happened…" she allowed her thoughts to travel back to the last few months.

"You are coming, aren't you? I mean Gwen it would mean a lot to me if you were there, even if it was with Captain Jack Harkness. Please Gwen, say that you will come?" he said as he pushed an envelope in her direction. She knew that there was an invitation inside. "I have saved you and Jack a place for the meal, as I know that it would be close if you do decide to come." He explained. Gwen looked at the envelope and put it in her pocket. She stood up, put some money on the table and said her goodbyes to Rhys and left.

She knew that as soon as she turned the corner, that Jack was there. He looked at her as she once again smiled and they walked back to the hub together. Jack never asked her once what she was doing with Rhys and also why she walked out of the hub, he assumed that she had a lot on her mind.

"So, I hear you know someone who is good at torturing people!" he said to her, breaking the silence. Gwen stopped and looked up at him and smiled. She wrapped her arms around Jack as he, suddenly taken back, wrapped his arms around her waist. Jack lifted her face up to his and kissed her lightly on the lips. When he pulled away from her, he smiled his charming smile and took her hand.

"Cone on, let's go and sort out this guy we have in the cells, and then, once Crystal has gone back home, we might be able to finish where we started a while back!" he said to her as they continued to walk back to the hub.

The Doctor was watching Rose with Crystal as they played an Earth game called "Game of Life". He was happy that he had decided to bring Rose back to Earth to catch up with Jack. He knew that the difficult times were coming and that somehow, Rose and Gwen had a very important part to play in it, but why Rose, he was still unsure. He left the hub and went to his TARDIS and stroked the console fondly.

"You know what Rose has to do right?" he said to the machine. He got a knowing hum in return. "Then why can you not tell me, I mean I have a right to know, don't I?" he asked the TARDIS again, he heard another hum and knew that she was saying that it was not time for him to know. He sighed as he went to his room so that he could think about what and also when the time would come.

Rose and Crystal were having fun with Ianto that she did not notice the Doctor leaving the hub. She knew that he would not leave her, nor go far as the TARDIS was making sure that he did not run away for this, he also had a part to play in everything, be it a small one, but at the end of the day, he was not ready to know yet, just like Gwen and Jack. She returned her concentration on the game, and Tosh came away from her computer and joined them, but before she did, she turned the monitor that was on the CCTV image of the cells so that she could keep an eye on their visitor. Owen, also bored of being alone in the medical bay decided to join them as they started a new game.

This is what Gwen and Jack came back to, the team playing "Game of Life" with Crystal and no sign of the Doctor. When Gwen came in, Crystal came running up to her and Gwen picked her up, taking her back to the team with Jack behind her.

"Where is the Doctor?" Jack asked

"He went to the TARDIS, he was getting a bit bored and guess he needed some time alone." Rose replied as Gwen sat down with Crystal on her lap as they continued the game. Ianto stopped playing to get everyone something to drink and Tosh went back to the computer to monitor what was happening to the rift. Jack joined Tosh as they discussed what was going on and Gwen sat Crystal down on the chair.

"So what do you think?" he said to her as she came towards them.

"We should let the inter-galactic courts decide, but he is within our care, so we can't let anything happen. I am not sure how to go about this Jack, any way we can get some advice from the commander, I am sure he knows what to do better than us?" Gwen asked as she looked at the monitor, anger boiling up inside her. She knew that the inter- galactic courts would give Torchwood and also her planet the right to do whatever she wanted with him, but she wanted to do things by the book, so asking for advice would have been the best way. Gwen walked to her workstation and turned on her computer

"Torchwood Gwen Cooper 78651" she said, her computer beeped, acknowledging the access code. "Inter- galactic council, information." She said, again her computer beeped and started to do the research she wanted. Jack turned on Tosh's other computer.

"Torchwood Captain Jack Harkness 40351" he said to the monitor.

"Access granted, welcome Captain Jack Harkness. Putting you through, please wait…" the computer said to him. Tosh looked at him.

"Been doing some upgrading?" she asked

"No, the computers are voice activated to each team member as you know Tosh, but there are special access codes that get you into other areas, it is just that I have to always change my access code after one of you have heard it, like now." He explained to her, she nodded, showing that she understood what he had meant.

The computer beeped and a picture of the commander appeared.

"Jack, what can I do for you?" he said.

"Commander, we have somewhat of a situation here, we have captured an assassin who was trying to kill a princess from the planet Gia. We need information regarding the inter- galactic council and their rules in this situation." Jack explained. The commander nodded and went to another computer. Crystal skipped up to the computer and to Jack.

"Up Jack, want to see!" she said as Jack picked up Crystal. She looked at the computer and smiled.

"He was at the ball, you and him didn't stop talking!" she said as the commander, on hearing the child's voice turned to the computer to see her.

"Ah, Princess Crystal, such an honor, and what are you doing on Earth?" he asked.

"Paying some relatives a visit." The child said.

"And at the same time as you not being at home, someone took it as an opportunity to hurt you." He said, the child's face went sad and she nodded.

"He made something good into something bad, he's an evil man. Tried to hurt me." She said, and the commander went back to the other computer as it beeped.

"Jurisdiction means that he is yours. Now, tell me child what is going on?" he said and Crystal began to tell the story of the pixel and then the assassin being bought by the power of the TARDIS to Earth.

He listened and when she was finished he said "okay, I am going to mention this at the next inter- galactic meeting, as for their rules, he should be imprisoned, he has broken many laws, including intent to kill and invade a planet where he has no treaties. Something tells me that you may have a few ideas right Jack?" the commander asked him, Jack allowed a wry smile to break on his face and Gwen rolled her eyes. She walked over to Jack and saluted the commander.

"Gwen, always working I see."

"Torchwood doesn't stop for anyone commander, need to be ready, someone has to be alert. May I please introduce you to the rest of our team?" she asked him, he nodded and ushered Tosh to the computer screen "This is Tosh, great computer genius, can make anything alien and also hacking, please don't even get me started!" Gwen said, watching Tosh go slightly red. Ianto came over, bringing coffee Gwen took this chance to grab him. "Ianto, takes great care of us, if you ever have time commander, he can make you fall in love with coffee after one sip!" she said "he is also great at archiving everything and nothing in our hub goes unnoticed by him, he knows everything!" she said as she let go of the Welshman as she heard Owen cursing from the medical bay.

"Ianto, do I have to get my own coffee!" he said as he walked up to where the rest of the team was.

"Dr Owen Harper, a fouled mouth person, but could fix us up in a heartbeat!" she said as Owen appeared in front of the screen.

"And who the hell is he?" Owen asked as he reached for his coffee.

"Owen, be nice to your superiors!" Crystal said as she reached over and put her still sticky hand on his face.

"How come it is me who always get the sticky children!" he protested as she went into Owens arms.

"Jack, you have an amazing team, and I hope to pay a visit soon, I hear that the time is approaching, the shaman has informed us that Torchwood would have a role to play in this still. Good luck Jack." He said. Jack saluted the commander and the screen vanished.

Jack went to the computer and changed his access code for the area and sealed it. Tosh, watching was amazed that Jack could do more than normal on the computer. He nodded at the rest of the team as they continued to go about their normal business as he went into his office to think. He had heard of the shaman, but never actually met him. He knew that he was in the same base as the commander and was kept very well, treated with borderline reverent. He touched his keyboard and his computer sprung into life as he went in search of the archives for any information regarding the shaman, and at the same time, planning what to do with the prisoner in the cells.

Gwen went back to her computer, which was still carrying out the search for her. Tosh returned to watching rift activity as Owen took the child to the med bay so she could see what he was dissecting… one minute… dissecting! She ran from her workplace to the med bay.

"Owen do you really think that it is a great idea to show Crystal…" she looked up, Crystal was playing Owens handheld game console and he was playing his second one, they seemed to be engrossed in playing against each other.

"Great idea what Gwen?" he said, she smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing; Owen, forget it." She said as she walked off and left them playing.

Rose went back to the sofa area and tided up the game. Ianto came and shooed her away.

"Should you not go and find the Doctor?" he asked her, she shook her head.

"He will come back in his own time, it is best to leave him when he is like this." She said as she moved towards the coffee machine and Ianto tided up the game.

"He worries, about you you know, you and Gwen. He knows something but he won't let on. I just don't want to see either of you…" Rose reached out and touched Ianto's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Bad Wolf and Gwen are both powerful enough to take care of anything that is going to happen. It may be that we both… change from this, but like the Doctor, regeneration is a way of cheating death…" Rose explained with a twinkle in her eye. Ianto smiled as Rose went over to talk to Gwen. Gwen heard Rose coming towards her and looked up.

"Since both of our boyfriends are disposed, let's go for a walk and catch up on things!" Rose said. Gwen nodded, locking her computer which was still continuing with the search, grabbed her coat and left with Rose. They walked out of the hub and into Cardiff town center as the sun was setting. The clubs were starting to play music which, in Gwen's opinion was too early, but who was she to complain. They grabbed a coffee at Starbucks and made their way to the beach where they took Crystal and sat down on the sand.

"So… Bad Wolf… surprising!" Gwen said as she looked over the ocean in front of her.

"I know, but you can't tell the Doctor, I mean he is going crazy about what is going to happen to you, but if he knew how much of a role I have to play in this, he would put me on the TARDIS and take me to the future, but then again, I guess that the TARDIS wouldn't let him, she knows that I have to be here when it happens." Rose explained.

"What is going to happen Rose, why do I have to remember this stuff that has happened to me?" Gwen asked as she let a lonely tear fall down her cheek.

"I can feel it Gwen, the rift, it's changing, something is pushing it's way through and is coming here, but your computer isn't picking it up, it seems to be able to not get recognized on the radar, but I can feel it." Rose said as she gave Gwen her hand, all of a sudden, Gwen could feel the earth shaking and looked up into the sky and saw the darkness and also redness in the sky as the rift changed and a hole appear. Rose let go of her hand and Gwen looked up at the sky where she saw, a rip in the rift.


	9. Experiments and secrets

A/N: I am sorry it has been a long time since my last update; I have not been well at all.

Disclaimer: Do not own Torchwood no matter how much I wish I did, I write for fun and for entertainment, please don't sue!

Rose sat in silence with Gwen as she calmed herself down.

"We went there, New Earth, same year too, met the face of Boe and also the hospital. It was as if you were supposed to seek him out too." Rose said to Gwen. Gwen, who was staring out at the ocean just nodded. She stood up and closed her eyes, whispering a spell and created a light globe. She gave one to Rose and then created her own.

"Something to light in the hour of our need and from the darkness." Gwen whispered up to the sky. Rose stood up next to her and put her arm around Gwen's shoulder.

"No matter what happens, I will always be there to help and protect you." She said to her. Gwen nodded and they started to make their way back to the hub, holding the light globes in front of them. When they got closer to the town, Gwen made the globes disappear and they walked back through the town to the hub.

Gwen didn't want to go in, and said to Rose that she wanted to be alone and she went down into the hub. Gwen starred out into the bay, wondering what was going to happen to her, if she was even going to survive what will come. She knew that Jack kept saying that the 21st century it would happen; and she knew that Torchwood was ready, but was she mentally ready for what was going to happen? This was something different, she didn't expect to have a role in any of the end of the world stuff, well she knew she would within Torchwood, but a role as big as this? She felt the wind hit her face, a cooling breeze which helped her relax.

"A penny for your thoughts?" she heard a voice say, she turned and saw the Doctor standing next to her.

"You know that sharing things help lighten the problem." He continued to say to her as she continued to stare out into the bay. She didn't know what to say to him, she knew that she was scared and she didn't know what she could do. She had faced death several times at work, she had really thought several times that she was going to die and had no one to be able to share her experience, but now, even though she knew that she could not die, what would this do to her? This might be the exception to the rule, maybe this way she _could_ die.

"I'm… scared Doctor. I know what is out there; I know that I have to help stop the end of the world… but it…" she didn't know how to continue. The Doctor looked at her, he knew that she was having a hard time being able to grasp the concept of everything, and since she has to also remember things from her past to be able to help and unlock abilities.

"You know Gwen; it is okay to be scared. I am scared for Rose everyday, not knowing what is going to happen to her and that she will leave me, not at her own choice, but because human nature will take its course." He said to her. Gwen wanted to tell him about Bad Wolf, but she knew that he was not supposed to know, not yet anyway. He turned and sighed.

"You know, the human race has so much more that it needs to achieve, this end of the world isn't really that!" he said

"Nothing is written in stone, time can be changed." Gwen whispered, the Doctor nodded, he knew that if something did go wrong that it would change the course of Earth's history. He couldn't allow this to happen, even if Gwen did have the ability, like Jack to never die, he knew that there was always an exception to the rule.

"You know that TARDIS doesn't like Jack since… well since the incident, but you, she likes and through you, she is beginning to accept the way that Jack is. But since it is part of you and your DNA, it is easier for her to accept it, Jack was an accident, and she hated it." He explained to her.

"But the TARDIS flows through him, and he passed that onto me when he saved me from…" she couldn't complete the sentence, it still brought back bad memories of when she died. "There is nothing there Doctor, nothing waiting for me to comfort me, and now… if I can't die and then I come back, just like Jack, I mean even the team do not know this, I am not sure if it would work!" she said as she turned to face him. "How am I going to be sure that I can avoid death?" she asked.

"The only way would be to test it, with someone you trust, and see what happens. I don't think that Zara would have lied to you and her people do have this amazing ability and also the TARDIS flowing through you, the connection for Jack I am pretty sure that you do possess the same ability." He said as he began to walk away. Gwen heard his footsteps getting fader and she turned to look at him.

"Doctor!" she shouted, he turned to face her. "Thanks." She said and he nodded and walked back to the hub.

Jack had seen Rose come in, and she explained that Gwen needed time to be alone. After about 30 minutes, the Doctor walked back in and also told Jack that Gwen had needed more time. He was getting frustrated; he knew he should leave Gwen alone, but after her last disappearing trick, he just didn't want to lose her. Ianto came in and brought him a cup of coffee.

"Just relax sir; I am sure that she is okay. If you are so concerned, then ask Tosh to show you the CCTV of the bay, then you can put your mind at ease." Ianto said to Jack. Jack kissed the Welshman as he went to Tosh to see what Gwen is up to.

"Tosh, CCTV of the bay please, find Gwen." He said.

"Jack, she wants to be alone, do you really think that spying on her is a great idea?" Tosh said as Jack walked up to her. "I mean, it's wrong to do something like that when she doesn't know." Tosh explained as Jack stood next to her.

"I don't want her disappearing on me again." Jack said, Tosh sighed and did as she was told.

Gwen knew that Jack would be getting more and more worried the longer she was out here, but she really needed to know if she had the same ability as him. She remembered Zara saying that it was possible that she had this ability and in passing the test, the chances were really high, but still, she was only quarter Giaian, not all abilities would be passed on to her.  
"How am I supposed to know." She said to the bay in front of her. "Being able to heal, not die, live forever, what if these abilities I didn't get?" she asked herself. She sighed deeply, she could hear a sound, and knew that the CCTV camera was turning to face her; she smiled as she knew that Jack would be watching her. She thought about Jack, at least he knew that he couldn't die, but how was she going to test it? The cold wind blew her hair as she began to shiver. Pushing her thoughts aside she made her way back to the hub.

Waiting for the cog door to open, she let out a huge sigh. She walked through the door and hanged up her coat and went to her workstation. The rest of the team was working on something, and she looked and saw that her search was finished. She read the information and then made her way down to the prison cells to talk to her capture. He was sitting on the bench that was in the cell, and smiled when he saw her.  
"Princess, a pleasure as always." He said to her as he did a mock bow.  
"Please, I don't need your sarcasm, I get enough from Owen as it is!" she said as she pulled up a chair to the cell.  
"What are you going to do with me and my pixel?" he asked as he sat back down on the bench.  
"I am not sure, we need to have a meeting about this, but as far as the inter-galactic council is concerned, you are my prisoner and I can do as I see fit." Gwen said to him. "You know, you were nice to me at the banquet." She said to him.  
"I didn't know that we would meet under such… circumstances shall we say." He said to her as he walked towards the door. "I didn't know that your relative would be on Earth with you."  
"It was lucky she was, and also that we could catch you. How could you hurt such an innocent child?" Gwen asked him.  
"I want the mineral from their planet; it is so rich and great for power and fuel. But they do not mine as much as other planets do as they feel the need to preserve it."  
"But their trade also deals in a lot of other things; you can not expect them to ruin their planet where there are other planets, not inhabited where the mineral can also be mined." Gwen said as she stood up and paced in front of the cell. She heard Squid let out a loud sigh.  
"I am sorry Gwen, but this is the way it was, and I know that you or nay member of your team can not change this." He said, this made Gwen mad and she left him alone in the cell and went to Jack's office.

"Jack, I need to test something!" Gwen said as she stormed into his office and began pacing, she was nervous and Jack could see this. He stood up from his chair and put his arms on her shoulder to stop her.  
"Gwen, what has gotten you so jumpy?" he asked.  
"What if I die, I mean what if I don't have this ability, I am not a full Gian, only quarter, we need to find out, if we get a gun, then go down to the shooting range and test it…" Gwen said as she pushed Jack aside and continued to pace. Jack took in a deep breath.  
"No Gwen, we can't do that. If you are not so sure, why not talk to the Doctor and see what he says?" he said. Gwen stopped in her tracks, she had already had the discussion with him, and she was at a lose as to what to do. If she was right, and the feeling that she had, then she would be okay, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Jack let out a loud sigh and Gwen looked up at him. She had forgotten that she was in his office as she began to drift off into her own world. Jack walked up to her.  
"Go to the Doctor, get in the TARDIS and take a trip, I am sure that with him by your side, he will be able to help you with your worries." Jack said and guided Gwen to the door. Before she had a chance to say anything, he closed it and Gwen went off in search of the Doctor.

Rose, Crystal and the Doctor were in the medical bay with Owen as he was discussing the different aliens that they have come across. Crystal was engrossed in a game that she was playing, while Rose and the Doctor were listening intensively to Owens conversation. Upon hearing Gwen's footsteps, the Doctor turned and looked up at Gwen.  
"Can we go somewhere to talk?" she said to him, he nodded, gave Rose a kiss on the cheek as he went up to her and the two of them walked out of the hub. Gwen explained the idea that Jack had and the Doctor listened to her and agreed. They went into the TARDIS where Gwen heard the ship greeting her. The Doctor took her to the medical bay to check her vitals and also her blood to see what would happen and how long it could take. Once he was happy that she could survive a shot to the chest, he started the TARDIS up and off they went to another planet.

Gwen stepped out of the TARDIS onto the new planet, she was scared, regardless that the Doctor said he had everything that he needed in case something did go wrong, and that the chances of it going wrong were slim, and she still wasn't sure how she was going to feel dying… again. She looked around the planet and saw that it had rings like Saturn. She smiled as she saw two suns rise in the distance and the moon slowly backing away, allowing the day to come. The Doctor came out and saw that Gwen was taking in the sights.  
"I come here to think, it's so peaceful and quiet, it helps my soul, for just a short time feel relaxed." He explained to her as he walked up to her.  
"This place is amazing!" she said as she turned to face him. "Okay, let's do this before I really get scared again." She stepped back and walked a few paces into the distance. They had discussed that they would use a laser gun and shoot at her heart, she was worried as Jack had once mentioned dying by laser, the very first time when he thought that he would never come back, so she wanted to experience the same thing, somehow she had hoped that in doing this, she would feel closer to Jack and understand what he went through the first time. She took in a deep breath and let it out and signalled to the Doctor that she was ready. He nodded, powered up the laser and as she saw the beam heading towards her, she closed her eyes and allowed it to hit her.

The pain was quick, and then the darkness surrounded her, just like the first time, she could feel nothing and sense nothing. She stood up, unsure that why she was on the ground of the darkness and walked around, finding nothing and feeling nothing. Minutes had passed, hours, days, she was not sure as the time seemed to stand still, but she felt something, like someone tapping her on her shoulder, she turned and saw a fairy and smiled. She was not expecting to see a fairy, and found it strange. The fairy flew towards her and went into her body, into her heart and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath and woke up.

Gwen gasped for breathe that her lungs were burning for. She felt the Doctor put his arms around her to calm her down and felt his two heartbeats against her chest. She was back in the TARDIS, alive.  
"How long was I gone?" Gwen asked once she started to breathe normally.  
"Nearly an hour, I guess the first time must have been the hardest." He said to her as he began to scan her. Gwen reached down and touched her clothes, she could see the burn hole where the laser had burnt through, but her skin was healed, just a slight burn mark was still there. She sat there, remembering what happened in the darkness while the Doctor checked her over. Once he was happy, he nodded at her.  
"Nothing, you are fine, the cells appear to be regenerating themselves with the Gian DNA and your body is healing. I would say that you inherited the same as your people. Also, that TARDIS seemed to feel your pain when the laser hit you and you died, she cried out to me, so the link that you gained from Jack seems to be stronger in you than in him." He explained to her as she began to stand up. She felt a bit shaky and held on to the side of the bed as the Doctor walked up to her and took her waist and led her to a room.  
"I guess you are tired, the TARDIS has prepared a room for you to relax in." he said as he took her there. The room was the most gorgeous one that Gwen had ever seen, the walls were painted in a bright sunshine yellow, a king size double bed laid in the middle of the room, an open fireplace warming it and a book shelf full of books. The Doctor put her on the bed and pulled the cover over her.  
"The TARDIS has a special link with you Gwen, she knows exactly what you like and want. She will take care of you." The Doctor explained to her as her eyes began to get heavy. "Just go to sleep and when you awake, we will be back in Cardiff okay?" he explained to her and she nodded, allowing the song of the TARDIS to fill her heart, head and luring her into the safety of her dreams.

The Doctor went back to the console room and sat down on his chair. The TARDIS said something to him and he smiled.  
"She is going to stop it isn't she? I mean, she is strong enough?" he asked her, the TARDIS said something to him and he looked puzzled.  
"Help? From whom?" he said, but the TARDIS did not answer this one. "You are a strange machine when you want to be!" he said to her and she let out a slightly angry sound, the Doctor smiled and went over, stroking the console. He started getting the controls ready and they left the planet, going back to Earth.

Jack was pacing in front of Tosh's computer. Ever since he heard the door open and saw the Doctor's jacket fly out, he knew that Gwen had gone with him. Tosh confirmed by the rift activity picking up and then going down, confirming that the TARDIS had left Earth with the two people inside. Rose came up from the medical bay and went over to Jack, putting her hand on his shoulder.  
"Don't worry; she is going to be fine! He knows what he is doing, and if not, I know that the TARDIS will not allow anything to happen to her, thanks to you!" she said to him. Jack looked at her, puzzled and she smiled her ever knowing smile.  
"One day Rose Tyler, you will tell me your secret and then I could smile with you!" he said as she let out a small laugh and went back to the medical bay to check on Crystal.

Gwen slept peacefully, and knew that the TARDIS had something to do with that. She woke up and stretched on the bed and wondered where they were. She knew that the Doctor would have a lot to think about and thought it best not to go and see him, but she heard the TARDIS telling her that he was in the console room. She stood up and looked down at her clothes, remembering that the burn hole was still there. She went to the wardrobe that was in her room, opened it and saw it full of clothes that were just to her taste and size. She stroked the wall of the room and heard the ship talking back to her as she picked out some new clothes and got changed. Once she was happy, she went out of the room and to the console room where the Doctor was leaning against the computer.  
"Hi" Gwen said as she walked shyly out of the corridor to the Doctor. He turned around and smiled as he saw that she had changed. She walked up to him and he gave her a hug, feeling like she needed one after her experience.  
"Where are we?" she asked.  
"In the time vortex going back to Earth." He explained as he showed her the computer monitor. She could see colours swirling around on the screen and wanted to open the door to have a closer look, but the TARDIS began to go down and descend to Earth. Gwen walked towards the door and opened it and saw that they were near the water tower and near the base. It was dark and she felt the breeze hit her face. She knew that most of the team would have gone home by now if nothing had happened. Gwen loved Cardiff, it was where she grew up and also where her family live… well used to live. Her parents died young and her grandmother went insane with the ability that she had. Gwen shuddered at the memories of her grandmother, she was the closest thing to a mother that she ever had. When she passed away, Gwen was devastated again, and then she found Rhys, and somehow managed to go on, becoming a police woman and then, finding Jack. Standing out at the bay and allowing the feelings to come back, and now, finding out more about her family, her past, her life. She was happy. She heard the door to the TARDIS open again and the Doctor stood out and walked beside her. He put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug.  
"Well, that was something different!" he said to her, she let out a small laugh and looked up at him.  
"You know, you have nothing to worry about. I can also feel it, the Earth moving, every time I reach out to you, it gets stronger and stronger. I can hear humans dying, feel their pain and yet, I am happy for some of them as it was their time. For most of them, it was too soon and now, with my ability, I will never have to feel that pain again." She said to him. The Doctor looked at her surprised at how much she was developing.  
"Gwen, never change, regardless of anything, never lose your passion for love, life and everything. Keep fighting and with you, Jack and the rest of the team, you can really make this world better. Come on, let's go back before Jack has a fit!" He said and she smiled at him as they stepped on the paving slab that had the perception filter and the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver and the lift went down into the hub.

As the lift started to go down, Gwen and the Doctor looked down and saw the team. Rose and Jack looked up to see the Doctor and Gwen coming down. Jack noticed right away that she was wearing different clothes to when she left. He walked up to her and nodded.  
"Gwen, did you have fun?" he asked  
"I think we should discuss this in private Captain" she said with a straight look on her face. Everyone watch them as Gwen followed Jack up to his office. Once the door was closed, Jack wrapped his arms around Gwen and they began kissing each other so frantically, Gwen allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks from the emotions that she had tried to hide in front of the Doctor.  
"Gwen I was so worried!" Jack said as he pulled away and checked her over. Gwen looked up at him as she undid her blouse and showed him the mark where the laser had hit her. Jack looked up at her, stunned.  
"Let me tell you about me first time then Jack, just like you told me about yours." She said as they both sat down and Gwen began her story about being hit with the laser. She didn't tell him about the fairy, not wanting to share that just yet.  
"Laser, like my first time." He said with a smile on his face, she nodded.  
"I wanted to somehow feel the same thing you felt the first time it happened." She explained to him. Jack went over to Gwen and wrapped his arms around her, wondering what he did to deserve her.

The hub was silent as they tried to hear what was going on in Jack's office.  
"Leave them alone! They have a lot to talk about!" The Doctor said as he sat on the sofa with Rose. Ianto brought them both a coffee.  
"Ianto, if you weren't so busy here, I would have you on the TARDIS in a heartbeat!" the Doctor said which earned him a slap from Rose.  
"Thank you sir. As for Jack and Gwen, you know what happened; you were there, but the rest of us it is still a mystery." The Doctor smiled at Ianto  
"Gwen will tell you all what happened in her own time, first, she and Jack need to sort things out about where things are heading." He said as he sipped the coffee. Crystal came skipping up from the medical bay and to the Doctor and sat on his lap.  
"Mine?" she asked pointing at the coffee, the Doctor shook his head.  
"No, maybe Ianto can get you something?" he said, Crystal turned her eyes at Ianto and made a puppy dog look, he laughed as he rustled her hair and went to get her something to drink.  
"Gwen and Jack fighting?" she asked, the Doctor shook his head again.  
"No, they are talking about stuff that needs to be sorted here." He said. Crystal nodded and took the glass that Ianto had brought her and drank the juice.  
"Eyes hurt, no one said playing was bad!" she complained, Rose laughed and picked her up from the Doctor's lap  
"Well, you shouldn't be playing for more than three hours now! Come on, let's go and see Gwen." She said as she made her way to Jack's office, with Crystal in tow still drinking her juice.  
"Gutsy lady!" Owen said as he came out from the medical bay to see what was going on.

Rose took in a deep breath and knocked on the door. She had noticed that the blinds inside Jack's office were closed and she was hoping that she was not disturbing anything. A few seconds later, Gwen opened the door and smiled at her and Crystal.  
"Cookie please!" Crystal said as she wriggled herself free from Rose and hugged Gwen's legs. Gwen laughed.  
"I don't have any sweetie. Why don't you go and ask Jack while the rest of us have a meeting in the boarding room?" she said as Crystal let go and skipped to Jack. Rose followed Gwen back down to where the team was sitting.  
"Okay guys, meeting, boarding room like three minutes ago!" Gwen said, the team nodded and went to the boarding room while she went to her computer and checked the CCTV of the cells, noticing that he was still there.  
"I can't die Rose; I mean it was strange, and scary and something different and so many things all at once." She said in a low voice. Gwen locked her computer and she and Rose went to the boarding room. Rose didn't know what to say, she hadn't yet experience it and it wasn't something that she was going to test out. She thought about the possibility of her changing into the Bad Wolf, maybe becoming a Time Lady? She had so many unanswered questions she still needed answering herself.

Gwen punched in the code for the boarding room and went in with Rose. She called up the CCTV of the cells and they all saw the prisoner.  
"So, I was thinking…" Gwen began to say  
"Wait, you vanish off with the Doctor somewhere and you don't tell us what is going on?" Owen said, Gwen sighed  
"Owen, I will tell you when I am ready to and not before." Gwen said as she looked at him in the eyes. "I don't need any of your crap, not today!" she continued, still starring at him. Owen wouldn't break, but he saw the look in Gwen's eyes, what she was going through was something that neither he, nor the rest of the team would yet be able to comprehend. He nodded to her and broke eye contact, everybody in the room releasing the breath that they didn't realise they were holding. Gwen turned back to the screen in front and walked up to it.

"As I was saying, I was thinking that we…" Gwen began to say as her head began to hurt. She grabbed the chair and Owen came rushing over to her along with Rose.

"Gwen, talk to me." Owen said as he guided her to a chair.

"My head, it really hurts!" she said as she let out a painful moan. "Maybe I have been overdoing it." She said as her eyes began to roll into the back of her head and she passed out.

"Crap, not again!" Owen said as he picked her up. "She has to stop fainting." He muttered to himself as he and Rose went out of the boarding room and passed Jack.

"What happened?" he said.

"Passed out again, just go and finish the meeting!" Owen said as he walked past him and went to the medical bay. He laid Gwen on the bed as Crystal looked up from her handheld computer.

"Gwen's tired, she needs sleep?" she asked.

"Yes little one, she needs to rest. Why don't you go get the Doctor to check her out while Rose and I go back to Uncle Jack's meeting okay?" Owen said as he bent down to the child's level after putting Gwen on the bed. She smiled and nodded and went to the Doctor while Rose and Owen went back to the boarding room.

Jack looked at the rest of his team and sighed, his second in command, and his girlfriend was back in the medical bay from exhaustion. This wasn't good. He looked up and saw Owen and Rose come into the boarding room and they sat down.

"Okay people, we need ideas what to do with him, what Gwen was thinking was something that was not her, it was if she was somehow possessed by her anger. Anyway, ideas which we rationally discussed were taking him to the inter-galactic council or back to send him to Gia and allow the people there to decide his fate when Crystal goes back today."

"Wait, the little one is going back?" Owen said

"Yes, she has been here long enough and her life has been in danger, I am sure that she will be back in a month or so when Gwen has to go." Jack said.

"We should give him to the people of Gia and destroy the pixel." Tosh said "However, I would like to see what these pixels are before we destroy it." She continued, Jack nodded.

"This was also the idea I was thinking, so anyone against this?" he asked, no one raised their hand and Jack nodded "okay, I guess we should tell the Doctor about our choice and get Crystal back home." He said. He clapped his hands and him and the team left the boarding room and went back to the main hub.

After checking Gwen over and confirming that it was just exhaustion, he went back to Rose who was explaining to Crystal that she had to go home today and also that they were going to let her people decide about the prisoner.

"I want Gwen to come!" she protested.

"Gwen is sleeping, she should say here and get back into her normal routine, she will come over in a month to see you." Rose explained, but this didn't calm the child. Rose took her to Jack's room and they started to pack her things.

"Why take them home when I am coming back?" she asked, Rose agreed, why was she doing this?

"Okay, I am sure that Uncle Jack has a place to look after them. Come on, the Doctor is going to the cells with Jack to tell the guy what is going on and we are to wait in the TARDIS." Rose explained.

"Can I say bye to Gwen first?" Crystal asked, Rose nodded and they quickly went to the medical bay before going to the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Jack were talking to the prisoner; the Doctor was putting him in handcuffs and leg chains.

"You even try to escape, and I will throw you into the time vortex, do you understand?" he said to him, he nodded and they escorted him to the TARDIS. The Doctor saw that Rose and Crystal were already there and Jack had agreed to come on the trip with them, as the TARDIS was now beginning to like him. Once they got to Gia, Crystal ran to Zara and explained what had happened. Jack bowed down to the leader and she returned.

"Where is Gwen?" she asked

"Sleeping for a bit. We have the prisoner for you." Jack said as the Doctor brought him out of the TARDIS.

"Thank you for taking care of Crystal as a token of our appreciation, here is a gift for you Captain Jack; you will always be a friend to us from now on." Zara said as she handed him a box, it was so small that Jack put it in his pocket before bowing and going back into the TARDIS. Crystal ran up to him and hugged his leg.

"Tell Gwen I love her and will be back Uncle Jack!" she said, he nodded as he bent down and kissed the girl's head and went into the TARDIS. The Doctor spoke to Zara for a bit longer and then entered and the two headed back to Earth.


	10. The War is coming

A/N: Hi all,

I am sorry that I have not updated in a long time, been sick still. Thank you for the people who have added this to your fav, I hope that you continue reading it.

I own nothing from Dr. Who or Torchwood, all the BBC.

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It had been three days until Gwen finally woke up. The Doctor and Rose had already gone as the Doctor was getting squirmy about staying on one planet for too long, so they went and she knew that Crystal was also gone. She looked around and saw Owen sitting at his desk, he looked at her and saw that she was awake and went up to her.

"Sleep well?" he asked as he checked her heart, blood pressure and pupils.

"How long have I been out?" she asked.

"Three days now. The hub is quiet, been a few weevil sightings, but besides that, we needed a rest anyway." He said as he helped her sit up. "You are going to be weak for a few days, so I recommend going to the training room to train, also not to go too fast with eating as you haven't had anything solid for a while." He explained as he pulled out the drip and helped her stand. "You feeling okay?" he asked, she nodded, she felt physically fine, but mentally, she was battling with herself.

"Yes, thanks Owen." She said as she started to walk by herself and went up the stairs to the main hub. The first person she saw was Tosh, who smiled at her. Gwen smiled back as she went and sat down. Ianto came over to her bringing her a glass of water.

"No coffee for a while, Owens orders I am afraid!" he said to her as she let out a laugh.

"Jack is outside, you know how mysterious he is at times, and he just needed to get out of the hub I guess. You being asleep really didn't help him much; even weevil hunting was no fun for him!" Ianto said, Gwen let out a small laugh as she heard the motor to the step beginning. She looked up and saw Jack on the stair. He looked at her workstation and saw that she was there and smiled.

"Finally sleeping beauty awakes!" he said as the step finished his descend. She stood up and smiled at Jack.

"So, hear that nothing happened while I was sleeping!" she said.

"First time for everything!" he explained and they smiled at each other.

A month had passed since the Doctor and Rose left, and Gwen was being pursuit again. She hated being bait and this time, it was a creature who had really taken a liking to her. She rolled her eyes as she shot another energy blast on her pursuer in the dire hope that he would stay down, no such luck. She cursed as she pressed the tiny ear piece in her ear.

"I hope you guys are ready as this thing is going to pounce on me pretty soon!" she said as she ran towards where the team was setting the trap.

"You are about 800 meters away from us Gwen, there is a thin wire, you need to jump it and then we will be able to capture him." Tosh said to her, she could hear her hands running over the computer keys as she was setting up the last part of the trap. Gwen let out a huge groan as she threw an electrical bolt this time at the pursuer.

"Gwen, no weather elements, we are going to have a hard time covering up the energy beams as well as that!" she heard Jack say into her ear.

"Well Jack, either that or he eats me, so please take your pick!" she said as she began to pick up the pace, her lungs burning for more air, her muscles screaming to her to stop, she was still not back into as good shape as she would like. She saw the thin wire up ahead and jumped it, turning the corner and running into Jack. She landed on top of him with"oomph" as they heard the buzzing sound of energy and saw the creature trapped in the cell.

"We have to stop meeting like this!" Jack said as Gwen looked down at him, she rolled her eyes and pushed herself up off of him and sat down next to the wall, giving her muscles the break they wanted and her lungs the air they needed. Jack went up to the creature and looked at it.

"Feisty thing aren't you, you really took an interest in my girlfriend!" he said to it as it snarled back at it. "Let's get you back to the hub so that Ianto can name you." He said as he looked at Tosh "Is the teleport working, or do we need to use a special cell?" he asked, Tosh pointed behind her and he saw a special cell ready. Jack nodded as he and Owen went over to the cell and pushed it towards the creature. Once the door was open, Tosh guided the energy cell into the special cell and Jack locked the door. While Jack and Owen put the cell onto the roof of the SUV (Gwen thinking how the hell they would explain this to anyone who saw it), Tosh went over to Gwen, held out her hand and helped her stand up as the girls walked back to the SUV with the energy cell technology with them.

"Ianto, there is a nice creature on top of the SUV that needs taking down to the cells; Owen is waiting to help you." Jack said as he, Gwen and Tosh entered the hub. Gwen put the briefcases with the tech down near Tosh's workstation before walking over to the sofa and letting out a huge sigh.

"Nice to be home!" she muttered to herself. Gwen closed her eyes and allowed the sounds of the hub to relax her, however there was a voice in the back of her head, reminding her of her past and also warning her. Gwen tried to concentrate on the voice, to hear what it was saying to her. The voice was getting louder and she could begin to recognize the words "…eternal key…" she heard before there was a loud crash in the hub. She opened her eyes and saw that Owen had dropped some metal file on the floor.

"How can something so small cause such a loud noise?" Tosh asked as she came up to Gwen and sat down next to her. Tosh looked at Gwen and saw that she was pale.

"Gwen, you okay?" she asked, Gwen turned to Tosh and nodded. Tosh looked at her for a few minutes longer before turning away, pushing her thoughts to the back of her head for another time. They looked up as they heard the door to Jack's office slam shut.

"What's pissed him off now?" Ianto asked as he walked up to them with coffee, both girls shrugged as they took a cup from his tray. Gwen inhaled the coffee, allowing it to wake her up, however then felt sick. She put the cup on the table and ran as fast as she could to the bathroom. Ianto and Tosh watched Gwen run away and then looked at each other.

"Okay, who loses has to go check on Jack" Tosh said, Ianto nodded and the pair played rock, paper, scissors which Tosh won. Ianto sighed as he went up to Jack's office whereas Tosh went after Gwen.

Gwen had her head on the wall of the cubical and was allowing the tears to fall down her eyes. She didn't know why she was being sick, she was scared and had no idea what was happening. She had no idea what the eternal key meant, she remembered a time that the Doctor called her a key and would not tell her anymore. Maybe the time was getting closer for her to find out her role in this world… in this war that was hidden in the shadows. She heard footsteps coming and could sense Tosh's presence before she entered the bathroom.

"Gwen, you okay?" she asked, knocking on the door. Gwen wiped away her tears and stood up, unlocking the door and coming face to face with Tosh. She looked up in Tosh's eyes and saw the worry and walked the few steps up to her and allowed Tosh to wrap her arms around her, while she sobbed again, for a hidden reason that she could not tell anyone, as they were not ready.

Ianto took in a deep breathe as he knocked on the office door to Jack. After hearing a silent "come in", he opened the door and looked around for Jack. He was not in his office, but coming up from the bedroom that was down under his office.

"Ianto, what can I do for you?" he asked as he sat at his desk.

"Sir, I was wondering, if you were okay? You seemed a bit pissed when coming back today." he said.

"Nothing Ianto, just a stressful outing today that's all." Jack said, avoiding his glaze. Ianto knew that he was lying, Jack always kept secrets and this was one of those times.

"Jack, Gwen is fine, nothing happened. Retcon was given out to witnesses from the creature and he is locked in the basement." Ianto said as he went over to Jack and put his hand on his shoulder.

"There is more rift activity than normal Yan, it's starting and we are not ready for it. They can sense her and are always after her, after Torchwood." He said. Ianto squeezed his shoulder and then left the office, allowing Jack to think.

"Tosh, I can't do this, I can't put the team in danger anymore." Gwen said as she sobbed into Tosh's shoulder.

"What do you mean Gwen?" she asked.

"The war is coming out of the darkness, and we are not ready for it. I have to stop it, or at least delay it." She explained as she pulled away and looked at Tosh. Gwen began to glow, she knew where she wanted to go and that this was going to cause her a lot of pain.

"Tell Jack, that I love him." She said as she faded, allowing the power to take over her. Tosh tried to reach out to stop Gwen, but not only was the light blinding her, there was something stopping her from moving. Once the light had gone, Gwen was no longer here. Tosh didn't need telling twice and ran up to the main part of the hub.

"Jack, Owen, Yan, Gwen is gone!" she shouted as she got up there and to her workstation. All of the members ran up to Tosh, who was checking for Gwen's tracking chip. Tosh found it, but the location was one that none of the team expected.

"She is going to get herself killed." Owen said to himself, however the rest of the team heard and Tosh allowed the tears to flow.

Gwen allowed her ability to protect her as she went into the rift and to the source of the problem. She came face to face with the beast himself.

"We are not supposed to meet now!" it said to her

"No, we are not, but here I am, and I have come to warn you. Stop it; leave my friends and my planet alone. It is me you want, and you can have me." She said to him.

"Legend has it that the key will show itself to the world, and then the war will begin." He said to her, "the time has not yet come, so why appear before me?" he asked her.

"Leave my planet and friends alone and you can have me." She said to the creature one again. It laughed.

"My master does not allow me to take you; he says that you are not ready." The creature explained. "The Bad Wolf approaches to take you home young one. I will leave your planet and precious friends for now, but soon the darkness will prevail and my master will rise again." It explained to Gwen as she felt a presence surround her and she passed out.

"Will she wake up?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"Give her time Rose, she basically let her shield down and the rift got to her, killed her." He said to Rose, "we were lucky that the TARDIS found her." He said as he went to the console room. "We are heading for Earth, the time approaches." He said as he let out a loud sigh and left Rose with Gwen. Rose let out a sigh too; she knew that this would be the final battle, and that a lot of people would get hurt. She knew that Gwen was in trouble and warned the TARDIS to get her before she did something stupid, the only problem was she died. Rose sat down next to Gwen and put her hands on her forehead.

"I'm sorry that I can't ask you Gwen, please let me in." she whispered into her friends ear as she closed her eyes and entered her mind. Gwen turned in the darkness and saw Rose coming to her. Gwen walked up to her friend and they hugged.

"I tried to stop it, I don't want the war to come out of the darkness Rose, but it was beyond my control. They knew who I was before I got there, they also know what I am, Rose I am not strong to do this." She said as she cried into her arms.

"We will do this together Gwen, maybe it is time that you are told what your role in this universe is. Come back to me and we will talk." Rose said. "I need to go back, before the Doctor finds out what I am doing." She said as she faded. Gwen was left alone in the darkness again and sat down, wrapped her arms around her legs and cried her heart out.

Gwen took in a huge breathe that her body needed and she looked at Rose. She knew that she was in the safety of the TARIDS.

"We are taking you back Gwen, the war is coming and we need to get Torchwood ready for it and their role." She said as she helped her friend onto her feet. "Going into the rift to barter with the demon was not one of your best ideas." Rose explained to her as she walked to the console room with Gwen on her shoulder, supporting her while she got her strength back.

"I didn't want it to continue sending these creatures after me, it had to stop otherwise people would have gotten killed, more than needed." Gwen said as they stopped. Gwen looked up and saw the Doctor there.

"Gwen, we need to talk, with you and the rest of the Torchwood team, they know that we are here and if I know Jack, he is going to be attempting to break down that door.." he was interrupted by a clicking sound "… oh right, he has a key." The Doctor commented. Gwen stood up by herself, prepared for the lecture that Jack was going to give her. Jack walked in and Gwen waved her hand, freezing him on the spot.

"No lecture Captain now is the time for the truth, get the team and we will be in the hub in a few minutes. Then we can talk." She said as she reached out and touched Jack's face. He nodded his understanding and she waved her hand, releasing him. She turned to the Doctor and Rose and they both nodded and followed her into the hub.

Gwen walked into the bathroom to splash water on her face, she was a mess from her encounter in the rift and was tired and just wanted to sleep, but now was the time for the team to get answers and for the Doctor to explain this to her. She quickly changed her top and made her way to the board room where everyone was waiting for her. She typed in the code and walked in, the whole room went quiet and they looked at her as she took her place at the head of the table.

"Okay, now is the time for truths. You are all more than likely thinking several things, what I was doing in the rift and how come I did not die. I cannot die, I am like Jack. This is a gift that I got from my Gian DNA; in fact we were not sure if I inherited the gift, so the Doctor and I went out on a test drive so to say." She said, she paused as she remembered how she wanted to feel close to Jack.

"And the rift?" Owen pushed.

"There is a war coming, out from the darkness and the time was close. I went and spoke to one of the creatures who have been causing all of the rift activity in the last few months, sending monsters to target me, to test me and told him to stop. He has respected my wishes because his master has told him to. I offered myself to him as an offer to leave this planet alone, but again, his master said that I was not ready and he cold not take me, no matter how much he wanted to."

"Then the TARDIS sensed her and we picked her up, she was already dead when we got her as her shields gave in." the Doctor explained. The room went silent with all of this information that Gwen had provided.

"I have something else that I need to tell you all, I am the eternal key. I have not quite worked this out yet, was hoping that you could help me find out what I am supposed to do." Gwen admitted as she sat down. Rose gasped at this piece of news.

"How did you find out? You are not supposed to know this yet!" she said, the Doctor turned at her.

"Rose, what do you mean?" he asked her, Rose sighed; the time for the truth about her was to come out.

"I am here to help Gwen in this war. I am sorry Doctor, I had to keep it a secret until it was time, and now, well I guess that this is close enough. I am the Bad Wolf. She never left me Doctor, she has always been there and will stay here to be with me and protect everyone." Rose said as she walked over to Gwen. "This is the chosen child of light, I need to protect her. She is the eternal key that the legends talk about. She is the one to end the war and restore all of the balance in the timelines and universes." Gwen stood up and shook her head, she couldn't handle this.

"Rose… I can't do this, I just am too weak…" she said, she turned to look at Jack, the one person that she had always loved and will always love. "I'm sorry Jack, I've let you down and let the team down, I just can't do this." She said as she began to shimmer, Jack noticed this as a sign that she was going to teleport again.

"Gwen, no don't go!" he said as he ran around the table to her, but was too late, Gwen vanished.

Jack rubbed his temples; his second in command had yet again vanished. He let out a loud sigh and looked at Tosh who was already busy trying to locate Gwen. She looked up at Jack and shook her head, he knew what this meant, she was not anywhere he could get hold of her. He looked at the Doctor and then at Rose.

"What is the legend of the eternal key?" He asked.

"The legend goes that the eternal key will restore the peace between worlds and also restore the timelines to the way that they should be. Whoever possess the key possess the power to win the war. If the child of light becomes engulfed by the darkness, chaos will rule and life will be no more. It would be like a nightmare. The Bad Wolf is the protector for the child of light and to help her on her quest to restore the balance, and destroy the darkness that is ever growing." The Doctor explained to the team.

"But she isn't ready, she is the one who can win this war, but she isn't ready yet." Rose admitted to the team. "Her powers are growing, but she needs to develop a lot more before she can help us win this, the problem is that the darkness is starting to devourer the light. I can not stop this without her." She said as she stood up and walked to the Doctor. "We need to leave her be to accept what she has to do, she needs to see into her past as she did before and sealed the rift, but she also needs to know what is going to happen in the future. She has taken herself somewhere she doesn't want to be found; even I can not reach her. We just have to wait, and prepare for the war." Jack looked around at his team, he knew that the 21st century was going to be it, and now that the time dawns upon them, were he and his team really ready?

"Tell us what we need to do." Jack said as he looked at the Doctor and Rose. Both of them nodded and they started to prepare the plans.

Gwen opened her eyes, she knew where she was, and she was at a place she could call home. She opened her eye and looked up at clear blue sky through the glass dome. She heard footsteps running and saw Crystal approaching her.

"Gwen, you're back!" she said as Gwen bent down and scooped the child up.

"It was time for me to visit." She said, Crystal looked behind her.

"Where is the TARDIS and Uncle Jack?" she asked.

"I came by myself, I need to talk to Grandmamma could you take me to her please child." Gwen asked as she put Crystal down. Crystal looked up at Gwen; she was tired and looked worried, like a heavy burden had been placed on her. Crystal bowed down at Gwen and took her hand and led her to her mother. As they walked past, all of the people bowed before Gwen, she knew that they had to do this, but she hated it. There was no reason for the people to bow before her as she was nothing special.

"You are the princess; they would feel it impolite if they didn't bow before you." Crystal said to her.

"But so are you." Gwen told the child.

"Yes, but I am too young still for that to be recognized by them. One day, but not now, and for that I am happy as I get to be just a child." Crystal explained as they came to the room that Gwen had never been. Crystal reached up to Gwen and she automatically picked up the child.

"Don't go, I need you." The child said as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Oh Crystal, if things were different, I would take you back to Earth in a heartbeat, but it isn't safe there, and I want you to be safe so that when it is over, I will come back to you."

"Mother knows it's going to happen and she is preparing our people for this Gwen, I'm scared that I am going to lose you. I know that you have a role to play in this, but I am not sure how big it is." Gwen let out a sigh.

"Crystal, I can't tell you now how much I have to play in this; I have to talk to grandmamma so go and play little one. I will find you before I go." Gwen said as she put Crystal down and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Now go and be a big girl for me okay?" Gwen said as she put on a fake smile and gave the child a lollypop that she had in her pocket. Crystal took it and skipped off to find her friends.


	11. The 21st Century, are we ready?

**A/n So I finally got out of my writers block and have something to add. Remember I owe nothing and it all belongs to the BBC and RTD. Read and review, these help me to keep going.**

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Gwen turned back to the door and knocked on it. The door opened slowly and she walked in. Zara was sitting at the head of the table with other people around her. Gwen approached the table and bowed down. Gwen heard footsteps coming towards her and she felt a hand under her chin, lifting her face up to see her grandmother.

"Gwen, you do not need to bow before me." She said as she held out her hand and helped her to her feet. "Please, allow me to introduce you to our war council. It is time that we helped you in the upcoming battle." She said, Gwen stopped in her place.

"No your highness, this is not why I am here, I don't want you to lose your people, and I am keeping the battle as far away from this planet as I can." Gwen said. Zara sighed and turned back to face Gwen.

"No matter what, we need to be prepared. I need to defend my people from the darkness entering the light. The child of light needs to be ready for when the attack comes." Zara said to Gwen as they walked to the head of the table. "My council are at your disposal Gwen, we need you to win this war." She said as Zara bowed down to her and indicated to Gwen to sit at the head of the table. Gwen looked at the chair and backed away. Zara stood up and looked t Gwen's reaction.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this." She said as she began to pick up speed towards the door.

"Gwen wait!" Zara shouted. Gwen stopped and stood on the spot, she knew that Zara was not making her leave the room. "You can not run away from this, it is predicted in the legend what the child of light must do in order to win this war. We need you Gwen; my people need you more than anything just as much as the people on Earth, and any other planet for that matter that fights for the child of light. A child from three different races of the people of light is the one who will fight off the darkness. You are Gian, Human and now thanks to certain events, part of the Time Lord race; I guess you can thank Jack for that part." She said as she smiled at her grand daughter.

"I am so gonna kill him when I get back to Earth!" Gwen mumbled under her breath as she smiled at her grandmother. She looked at Zara in the eyes, both of them filling with tears that were threatening to spill. "Tell me about my role." She said as Zara led her to a seat and began to tell the story.

"But Gwen is not of three races, she can not be the child of light!" Owen said as they finished listening to the story from Rose.

"She is thanks to Jack, his role in the last part, giving her his life force to bring the part of the TARDIS, part of the Time Lords in her." She said as she walked around the table.

"So this whole event was triggered by the Enshi coming to Earth. This was destined to happen in the time lines?" Jack asked them and Rose nodded.

"It is earlier than we planned, however the races of the light are preparing as we speak, it will happen here, and Torchwood will be in the middle of it and at the end will be the key's part if we win or lose." She said as she looked around at the team. "Gwen brought us time in her visit in the rift; however there are still the prophecies that still need working out. What did Gwen mean about warning you about the Master?" she said as she turned to the Doctor "And also about you following your heart into the fire?" she said to Jack. The Doctor smiled, he knew what Gwen was referring to, but Jack just shrugged.

"Someone is smug; it is not a good look for you." Jack said to the Doctor who just continued to smile.

"The Mater controls the creature that Gwen approached when we found her." He said as he looked at the team. "Long thought to have been killed in the great time war, he is another Time Lord like me. Problem is, I have no idea how he would look now." He said as his smile disappeared.

"Tosh, check all of the databases for any people who have just "appeared" in the last few years so we can find out who he is." Jack said to her and she nodded as she left the boarding room. "Also search for the eternal key while you are at it!" he shouted to Tosh as she was retreating to the main part of the hub.

"Gwen is with her people, they are trying to convince her of her role in this matter, she is gonna be pissed at you when she gets back Jack." Rose said as she smiled.

"Guess just as much, good thing I can't die." He mumbled as he went over to the Doctor. "Tell me about the Face of Boe." He asked.

"No way, it would change too many time lines, as well as alternative universes." He said to Jack who nodded.

"Thought just as much." He said as he let out a sigh. He put his hand into his pocket and felt the box that Zara had given him when he returned Crystal on his last visit; he had forgotten about it with the amount of work that they have had to do the last few months. He put it on the table and the Doctor and Rose went up to it.

"Oh this is nice, am surprised it still exists." The Doctor said as he picked it up. "Oh and Jack, I saw the coral in your office, how did you get hold of a baby TARDIS?" he asked.

"Got it on the black market on some planet, thought it would be better in my hands than someone else's." he said.

"It will go to Gwen, you know that don't you?" The Doctor said and he nodded.

"Yes, he spoke to me about that already." He said as he looked at Rose and smiled. "So does this mean you are a Time Lady?" he asked and Rose smiled.

"Something like that." She said with a smirk on her face. The Doctor had pulled out his sonic screwdriver and put his glasses on as he pointed it at the cube. It lit up with the reaction and began to glow purple.

"Looks like someone can go to Gia and get Gwen." He said as he smiled at Jack. "It will work with Gian DNA and yours, since you were the first non-Gian to hold it." He said as he threw the cube back to Jack. "Go and get her." He said as Jack smiled and the cube's light engulfed him as he and the cube disappeared.

"So even though I am currently good, it can change if I am captured by the evil ones?" Gwen asked as she listened to the council.

"Then we need to make sure that doesn't happen." A male voice said as the door opened and they saw Jack standing there. Gwen glowed red with anger as she looked at her boyfriend.

"Jack Harkness, I could just about kill you right now!" Gwen said as she approached him, Jack took a small step back cowering before his glowing girlfriend. Zara raised her hand and Gwen froze on the spot. "Let me go, he is gonna die at least several time before I am through with him!" Gwen said as she tried to break her grandmother's hold on her.

"Gwen, not the way to treat someone you love, now please calm down and I will release you. Captain Jack, it is a pleasure to see you." She said as she addressed the captain and walked up to him. Jack bowed before her as she held out her hand to him. She looked over at Gwen to see the glow fading from her body. Zara led Jack to a seat with the council.

"I hate teleporting to far distant planets." He said as he sat down and looked at Gwen. "Is she really that pissed at me? I didn't know what I was doing!" he said as Gwen began to stop glowing.

"She knows that you meant well when you did it and did not know the consequences. Without you, she would not be here and she regrets that she is a burden to you." Zara said as she poured something to drink for Jack. He stood up and went to Gwen who was crying, he nodded at Zara who released her and he took her in his arms.

"Is it true?" he whispered in her ear, she nodded as she continued to cry. "Never think that Gwen, we will be together until the end of time and nothing will tear that apart." He said as he held her closer, blue light engulfed the pair as Zara gasped.

"So, the child of light has found her lost part. Jack, who would have thought that you would complete her." She said as she put the cup down on the table. The light around the pair faded as Jack looked at Gwen.

"Don't cry; we need to be strong for the rest of the planets." He said as he put on his charming smile, making Gwen laugh. "Now there is the Gwen who reminds me to stay human" he said as he hugged her and led her to the table. "Now, we need a galactic meeting with all of the races fighting on the side of the light, am not sure how many this will be, but if this is all going to take place on Earth, I would suggest that we meet there." He said as he took a sip from his glass.

"But why Earth, why not anywhere else?" Gwen asked, Jack hit his head with the palm of his hand and smiled at his girlfriend.

"Why else would it happen on Earth…" he said as Gwen paused and then blushed.

"Stupid rift." She muttered under her breath.

Tosh was engrossed on her work that she did not hear the person approach her work station.

"Ianto told me to give you this, he is checking on the equipment we have to make sure everything is okay and helping the Doctor and Rose to get everything into working order." Tosh turned and smiled at her new companion.

"Thanks." She said as she took the cup out of his hands and drank some of the contents. "I never realized that this will be the place that it will happen." She continued as she typed on her computer.

"Jack always did say that the 21st century is when it happens and we needed to be ready, guess we failed his expectations." He sighed as he pulled a stool over to Tosh's workstation. "Listen, I know that this may be sudden, but how about we go out for a drink and a movie sometime?" he said, Tosh paused in mid-type and turned to her new companion.

"Dr. Harper, are you asking me out on a date?" she said as she raised her eyebrow and looked at him puzzled. Owen blushed and nodded.

"Just, you know, can't let all of the negative stuff get to us and well…" he rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at her screen. "What you doing?" he asked.

"Running the searches Jack asked as well as doing a little inventory myself." She said as she turned back to the computer and pointed stuff on the screen for him. "Checking the rift for the signs I picked up while Gwen was there, the new readings show me that this has been building up for a very long time, even before we were born. It was destined that this was supposed to happen." She said as she pointed at the graphs and lines on the charts. "Gwen has changed, I mean don't get me wrong, it is for the greater good, but if she is the eternal key, this child of light then how are we supposed to react?" she asked Owen as she removed her glasses and pinched her nose, turning to face him.

"Just like we have always done, I think that she wants it to be that way." He said as he stood up and put his arm around Tosh. "We need to help her, after listening to Rose's story; I know that she will need us more than ever." He said, she looked at him and smiled, nodding in agreement.


	12. Preperations and a friend comes

Dear all, thanks for your reviews, they keep me going. I don't own Torchwood or Dr Who; those belongs to the BBC, but I do own Crystal ^^

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The Doctor and Rose were looking in the archives of Torchwood at the various alien tech that they had picked up with Ianto in tow.

"Wow, you guys found one of these! That is so cool, does it work?" The Doctor asked as he picked it up and looked at Ianto.

"That was broken when it came through the rift; Jack was never able to fix it so we just put it in the archives for safe keeping." He said as he looked at the device.

"Will it be helpful for us Doctor?" Rose asked him, he smiled and shook his head.

"Sadly no, well, at least not it battle, but I think that I can fix it if we ever get through this." He said as he put it back on the shelf and continued his search.

"How long will Gwen and Jack be gone?" Ianto asked as they proceeded.

"They should be back tomorrow; Gwen needs to be there for the day anyway to absorb the rays of the sun to keep her abilities, so I assume they will be using this chance to get ready and to train." The Doctor said as he picked up another tech item. "You guys do get the most trash." He said as he put it back on the shelf, Ianto laughed.

"We know; it is like Cardiff is the tipping ground for aliens, but if we didn't take it, who knows what people would do with it." Ianto said as they continued, the Doctor and Rose laughed, nodding in agreement.

"So you guys spend most of your time here?" Rose asked Ianto.

"Torchwood will take over your life, if you like it or not. We always thought that Gwen would be the exception to the rule, but things have… changed." Ianto said as he swiped his key card into the slot and they went into the next area. "I did a bad thing when I started here; I mean talk about taking advantage." He said as they entered the room and the Doctor gasped as he looked at the machinery.

"A cyberman conversion unit." The Doctor said as he went up to it.

"I used to work for Torchwood one, my girlfriend was only partly converted so once I got the job here; I brought her and hid her from the rest of the team. Jack still does not trust me." He said as he walked around the equipment following the Doctor. "Some of the parts still work, I am not sure if any of it will be useful for us." He said as he hit a few keys on the keyboard and the room lit up more as machines came to life.

"This should be destroyed, to be on the safe side." Rose said to the Doctor who nodded. They looked at Ianto who overheard them and nodded.

"Trying to hold on to a normal life while working for Torchwood is not possible." He said as he typed in another code on the keyboard as it began to spark and the lights went out. "The unit is destroyed." Ianto said as he looked at his friends, tears falling from his eyes. Rose went up to him and took him in her arms as he sobbed, finally letting go of the last thing he had to remind him of Lisa.

Jack and Gwen sat and listened to the plans from the council, as well as Jack adding his own ideas. Gwen let out a yawn as Jack looked at her and smiled.

"If I may suggest that we get some rest so that we can return to Earth tomorrow. Messages need to be sent out to the other planets so that we can have a meeting in the Torchwood hub in a few weeks. We will need time to improve our technology and also to prepare ourselves for what is coming up." He said as he stood up and reached his hand out for Gwen.

"Of course, Gwen your room is still there, please show Captain Harkness to the room adjoining yours. I wish you both a good night; we will begin sending out messages and our preparations." Zara said as she walked with the pair to the door. She opened it and took Gwen into her arms, hugging and kissing her goodnight. Gwen, taken aback from the gesture froze until Zara pulled away. Gwen looked up and saw that the moons were now high in the sky and that there were many stars shining down on them as they walked to her room. Gwen opened the door to her room and turned to Jack.

"I guess that this is goodnight captain." She said as she looked at him.

"Gwen, this is not the end, I promise you, no matter what I love you and will always be by your side." He said as he took her in his arms. Gwen inhaled his sent; the feeling of belonging overwhelmed her as he held her closer.

"Why does it feel so definite, that the end is coming and there is nothing I can do to stop it since I am not ready?" she asked into his chest, Jack let out a sigh.

"Torchwood will be ready, you will be ready and when the time comes, both you and Rose will take on the dark ones and win. I have no doubt about this. The team is behind you and we will always be there to protect you, to help you, and to support you." He said as he pushed Gwen away gently and kissed her on the lips. Gwen melted, it felt like such a long time since she had physical contact from Jack, he was a drug that she needed in order to live. When he pulled away he looked at Gwen as he guided her into the room. He closed the door and laid her on the bed, keeping his arms around her and hugging her, she fell into a peaceful sleep, all the time Jack stayed alert, protecting her from all of the darkness that was approaching.

Rose, the Doctor and Ianto came up from the archives with their arms full of alien tech. Tosh looked at them and smiled as Owen came out from the hospital bay after taking a nap. Tosh looked at her watch and realized that it was a new day; she took her glassed off and rubbed her tired eyes. Ianto came up and gave her a cup of fresh coffee, she smiled weakly at him and then looked back at her computer screens which were beeping at her as search results came in and new graphs were made. Tosh looked and saw that the rift was active above them; she turned the CCTV to the site where the activity was happening and saw Gwen and Jack materializing on the spot.

"Our leader is back." She muttered under her breath as she went to the locker rooms to have a shower. Gwen and Jack entered the hub and looked around. They saw that Owen and Tosh were nowhere to be seen and that the Doctor and Rose were playing with junk that had come through the rift.

"Jack, you have a load of cool stuff down there!" The Doctor said as he looked up from the door, Gwen walked past them all and went to her workstation and turned on her computer, which then asked her for a password.

"Since when?" she said as she looked at everyone, all of whom were in conversation, Gwen shrugged and turned back to her computer. "Gwen Cooper, Torchwood 45792" she said as the computer beeped, knowing that the password had worked. A video popped up and she sat down as she looked at who appeared on the screen.

"Gwen, I know that this is not proper protocol, and that turning on your computer prompted for the password, I am sorry, but I had asked for this since I had to tell you something that no one else can access." she smiled at the video as the person laughed. "Times are hard and due to this it is time that we took action, there is no more time to sit around, it is time that your training was made more harder than normal. I want you to meet me at the place we first met, you know where I am talking about, and please do not bring anyone, I promise that I am on the side of good and know that this is where I am supposed to be. Oh and tell Tosh that her security needs tightening, I mean come on that was way too easy!" he said, Gwen let out a laugh as the video went off screen. She looked up and saw that Tosh and Owen were still no where to be seen, she called up the cameras that were in the hub to see where they were, only to find Owen asleep in the medical bay and for Tosh to be in the locker room getting changed, she quickly clicked that away, that was something that she knew would annoy people, I mean seriously having cameras in the locker room had to be an invasion of privacy, but she was not going to tell this one to Jack, she bet that he had some nice footage when he was board. She stood up and went into Jack's office to get changed.

Jack went over to the Doctor and Rose as they came back into the hub. He saw Gwen go over to her computer and that she made a comment about it asking her for something before she gave her password and then she was laughing. He thought that it would be best to leave her by herself for the mean time since she more than likely needed some time by herself. He turned back to Rose and the Doctor and listened to them talking about the stuff that they found in the archives of the hub and how they were going to fix it all.

"We need a upgrade of software and of the whole computer system while we are at it Doctor, a few weeks time and we will all be gathering here to discuss our plan of attack." he said as he looked at him and Rose, both of which who nodded. Jack turned when he heard the door to his office open and saw Gwen's hair flying past the door as it closed and let out a sigh.

"Learn anything new the Jack?" Rose asked him as he looked at his office.

"Only that Gwen wants to kill me and that she is taking this harder than we all expected. If we are not careful, I think that it would be easy for her to turn to the side of darkness, we need to keep her with us no matter what." he said and Rose shook her head.

"You are underestimating her Jack; I think that she would not do that. No matter what she will face, I think that she can not be devoured by the darkness. She has seen what is on the other side waiting for her, the same as you have. She will not let people be the victim of such a horror." Rose said as she put her hand on his shoulder, Jack turned to her and looked at her.

Gwen came out of the shower feeling refreshed and went to the wardrobe to pick out something to wear. She heard the door above the entrance to the room open. She then heard someone put something on the bed in the area that Jack used to sleep and then the person left. Gwen waited a few minutes to make sure that the person had left before she quickly took a peek out of her room. If it was someone other than Jack, they would have let curiosity get the better of them for seeing the door and went in, knowing this she knew that the person who had been in the room was Jack. She looked outside and saw nothing different, thinking that she had more than likely been paranoid; she closed the door and went back to choosing her clothes for her meet. She knew that no matter what, it was going to be tough, therefore deciding against her normal high heels, she picked up her trainers and also put on a pair of jeans and a low cut red top. Grabbing her hairbrush, she brushed her hair before grabbing a hair band and putting it up. Looking in the mirror one last time, she smiled as she went out of the room and into the main area of the hub.

Jack smiled as he came back out of his office, knowing that what he did had more than likely put Gwen a little on edge, he went into the medical bay and saw Owen asleep.

"I am not paying you to sleep here you know!" Jack said as he threw a paper at Owen.

"No, but you are also not paying me to work more than 24 hours in one shift. If I had something alien to dissect, then things would be interesting, do you think that your Doctor friend would mind?" Owen said as he raised his eyebrow, causing Jack to laugh.

"Go home Owen, sleep and then come back tomorrow morning. But please make sure that you take your communicator with you in case something happens in the next 24 hours were we would need you." Jack said as he threw the ear piece towards the doctor, who let out a smile before grabbing his jacket and leaving the hub. Once Jack had seen that Owen had left, he saw Tosh coming back up from being in the shower. He could tell this since her hair was still wet. Tosh looked at Jack and smiled as he approached her.

"How long for the searches and results to finish?" he asked as he looked at the genius in his team.

"Can not tell Jack, normally our systems are fast, however the last few days I have seen a slow down, I would like to make sure that we don't have any kind of virus infecting our systems." she said as they both walked towards the workstation. The Doctor and Rose had moved the stuff to the boarding room so that Tosh could have some peace, quiet and space. Tosh touched her screen and saw a message from Gwen there in her mail box. She opened it and frowned, then turned to see where she was only to see a blur grab her jacket and leave.

"Back later!" Gwen shouted as she left the hub in a rush. She reached into her jacket pocket and found her communicator and put it in her ear. Fingering her bracelet and then her necklace she smiled, she knew that Jack was up to something, but she would let him have his secret, for now anyway. She thought about taking the SUV with her, but then shook her head. Pocketing the keys she walked along the plaza and took in the sights of the bay as she then proceeded to the town center. She smiled to herself as she thought that the last person she would have contact from was him, but she knew that he could offer her what none of the team members could, self defense lessons. She had to learn not to relay on her abilities all of the time, especially since they drained her. She pushed open the door to the bar and looked around. People were drinking and trying to talk over the blare of the music. She saw who she was looking for after the second scan of the bar. She walked over and sat down next to him and ordered a glass of water.

"Didn't expect you to be the main part in all of this" the man said as he took a sip from his own glass.

"And you were the last person who I thought would contact me. Tosh is going to be fuming once she is done reading my mail." She said as she nodded her thanks to the bar tender and paid for her drink. "Well, all the rehabs again, successful this time?" she asked as he reached over to touch her hand. Gwen grabbed his wrist and he looked at her and smiled.

"It is nice to see you Gwen, as you know and I know this is happening and you know why you are here. Rehab never works, you should know that, but in light of things, I have had to change my ways shall we say." He said as Gwen loosened the grip on his wrist.

"What kind of run-ins have you had lately then John?" she said as she looked at him in the eyes. He had aged and grown in more wisdom since the last time they had met.

"Let's just say that after ruining a few time lines and stuff I have learnt my lesson. I was saved by someone you know and hold dear. I now owe him everything and this way will help me repay my debt to him, also the time I spent debating about this whole thing, the more I realize that this was planned to happen." He said as he finished his drink. Gwen quickly drowned her glass as they both stood up and left the bar.

Tosh laughed as she read the mail from Gwen, Jack was peering over her shoulder as she was reading it.

"That cheating, drunk, no good of a son of a bitch!" Jack said as he smiled. Tosh closed the mail as she looked at her other results and began to explain to Jack about the different graphs regarding the rift. Jack nodded and paid attention, but saw that Tosh was beginning to get tired.

"Tosh, go home and sleep in your own bed. Take your communicator with you and come back tomorrow morning." Jack said as he pushed his genius to the door of the hub while she protested, he grabbed her coat on the way out. "The searches can take care of themselves and we need you fit, not half asleep." He said as he watched her dazed walk out of the hub, he waived to her and smiled. He rubbed his temples as he looked around the hub. Rose and the Doctor had gone into the boarding room and Ianto had decided to join them. He was thinking about sending Ianto home when he smiled and thought that he should take the advantage of Gwen being out of the hub. He went into his office and then into his room and lay on the bed. Reaching underneath it, he pulled out a box and opened it. Inside, there was a piece of gold and also some stones that he had brought from his home during his time as a time agent. He knew that it was going to take some work but she was worth it. He took the box and went down towards the lower parts of the hub, to where the furnace burned and began to get to work.

Gwen entered the hub and saw that no one was there.

"Jack, Owen, Tosh, Ianto, Doctor, Rose?" she called out all of their names and did not get any answer, she shrugged as she took off her jacket, John following her in.

"Done some fixing up I see?" he asked and she nodded.

"Well, it was about time something was done, we have had way too much excitement the last few months that all I want is rest." She said as she heard footsteps coming from the boarding room.

"Gwen, I thought that I could hear your screaming tones!" Ianto said as he smiled at her, he turned and looked at John. "The Doctor said that you would be joining us today. May I offer you both some coffee?" he asked as he went over to the lounge area.

"Just water for me Ianto, we will be in the training room. Any sign of Jack?" she asked.

"You know Jack, he is around." He said as he went into the fridge and got out two bottles of water and gave them to Gwen.

"Go home Ianto, I am sure Jack would not mind. Take your communicator with you and come back fresh tomorrow morning." Gwen said as she put her hand on his shoulder, he looked at her and smiled weakly as he nodded in agreement. He grabbed his jacket and left the hub. Gwen smiled at John as she led him to the training room. It was a huge room that was equip with not only fighting equipment, but also a large area covered in mats. She put her bottle of water on the floor as she and John stretched.

"Okay, show me what you got firefly." He said as he taunted her, she smiled as she attacked him with what little self defense she had learnt on the police force. After five minutes, John had her pinned on the floor, and she let out a sigh of defeat. "Well, more than I expected, but we need to work on it. Also, I bet your head hurts, still getting the constant whispering in the background?" he asked, she looked at him puzzled before nodding. "I thought so; bet it's as annoying as hell. Want me to teach you to get rid of it?" he asked as he got off her and helped her stand up. "Every time agent is trained in mind blocking techniques. Yes, this means Jack can do these too, but with his condition shall we say he doesn't really need them anymore. So what do you want first, the mind blocking or the fighting?" he asked.

Gwen sat down as she thought about this.

"I guess that if the whispering stops, then I can concentrate better on the fighting." She said as she looked up at John. "Jack, from him I don't hear anything, but I feel his feelings, I guess that is part of his condition?" she asked as she looked at him.

"You are worried that the same may apply to you am I right?" he asked and she nodded. "Well then, may I?" he asked as he sat down in front of her and put his hands on her temples. "Just relax and if there are things you don't want me to see, put up a wall in front of it and I will ignore it." He explained as they both closed their eyes. Gwen felt someone entering her head and felt scared, she pushed away all of her feelings and brought a memory to the front so that he could read her, it was when she first found out about her abilities. John smiled at the memory as he retracted himself from Gwen's mind. She opened her eyes and looked at him "No, you are not like Jack, and if you were, would it really be that bad?" he asked, Gwen stood up and began walking around.

"Jack has told me that he is a fixed point in time, but regardless he is also not supposed to be here in a way. He is like always in limbo and sometimes when I do connect by accident, I get scared and am sad. I have been to the other side, I know what is there and no one deserves that." She said as she sat back down now against a wall. "The whispers, before they were the comets, the aliens, but once they were gone and the silence engulfed me again; I kinda missed them. After the trials, the whispering returned. I thought at first it was the comets, but I realized that it was the team around me. People who I am close to and I have automatically made a connection with. I try not to listen into them, so they stay at the back but there are times when the whispering gets loud and I can't block it out." She said as she looked up at John who was nodding at her. "You know when I was a kid, I did gymnastics, and sometimes I just come down here when the hub was empty and practice. It helps me a lot to keep in shape." She said as John approached her.

"You hear the whispers because the people are not aware that you have connected to them. What happens when you concentrate on one?" he asked.

"They get louder, I guess they feel something as I normally get the response of them getting a headache." She said as she blushed. She had always avoided connecting to her friends; she felt it was not something that she was supposed to do. John smiled at her as he held his hand out to her; she took it and stood up.

"This technique will more than likely destroy you the first time. I have something in my backpack, but the Doctor took it from me, I assume he has it with him." He said as he began to lead Gwen to the mats. "Show me your gymnastics." He said and she nodded as she began to show him the flips and tumbles she knew.

Jack wiped the sweat off his forehead as he looked at his handiwork and smiled.

"What you planning Jack?" a voice said behind him, Jack let out a sigh as he turned and saw John.

"Where's Gwen?" he asked as he put his stuff back in the box.

"She is asking the Doctor for a favor for me." He said as he approached Jack. "It is good to see you Jack, how have you been?" he asked as he reached his hand out to Jack. Jack looked at his friend and took it, and the pair began to walk to the main hub.

"Well, except for my girlfriend being the one to bring the world peace and worrying night and day for her safety, am doing fine John!" he said as he went into his office, John went to follow but Jack held his hand out. "Not going to happen, you stay put… and keep an eye out for Gwen for me." He said as he went into the office and down into his room, putting the box under the bed and the covering it with a blanket. Convinced that he had it well hidden, he returned to John waiting for him. "So, hacked Torchwood computers and left a message for Gwen; what is there to stop me from locking you in with Janet?" he asked his friend as they went to the sofa.

"There isn't anything of course, but the fact that I can teach Gwen two things you can't; one is self defense and the second mental blocking." He said as he sat down next to him.

"If you do anything to Gwen's mind, I will kill you." Jack said to him, John let out a laugh.

"Trust me; I wouldn't want to be on that end of the stick, if you don't get me, I know for a fact that if Gwen doesn't do anything, then Rose and the Doctor will be more than revengeful."

"John, I got the keys, let's go!" Gwen said as she bounced out of the hallway that lead to the boarding room.

"Why did you get the keys, I have a set!" Jack said feeling hurt as John went up to her and hugged her.

"Didn't know where you were Jack." She said as she went over to the lift and activated it.

"So firefly, you ready for this?" John asked as the lift went up, Gwen looked down at Jack and nodded, smiling as she looked at him. She was worried, but knew that he could not harm her, not after what the Doctor and Rose had told her anyway. She looked back at Jack who was looking at her and reaching for his wrist strap, she knew what that meant and shook her head at him.

"Jack don't you dare, you know how I feel when you do that!" she said as she looked down at her boyfriend "we wont be long and he knows I could hurt him in several ways without touching him." She said as she winked down at Jack who laughed.

Gwen stepped off the lift and looked at the phone box standing in front of her. She felt the TARDIS talking to her and welcoming her back. Gwen smiled as she walked over, John following her. She put in the key to the lock and pushed the door open. The TARDIS hummed to her as she stroked the wall, and then she heard it make a comment and laughed.

"She says that your backpack is in the first room on your left." Gwen said as she sat down on the chair where the Doctor normally sat. She closed her eyes as the TARDIS told her some history, once she heard footsteps; she turned and saw John with his rucksack in his hand. He opened it and reached in, pulling out a headband which he gave to Gwen. It was red plastic band with a white jewel sitting in it.

"When you are in the hub or around people where the whispering is loud, put this on and it will block it. We normally give this to beginners in the Time Agency. It blocks the waves of thoughts from other people; however it will not block you from someone who is trying to invade your mind. This will do for now, go ahead, put it on." He said as he handed it to her. She reached out and took it, looking at the red plastic and running her hands over the jewel, she looked at the TARDIS that told her it was safe and would not block their communication, but help her concentrate until she got stronger. She put it on her forehead and the whispering stopped, she looked at John and nodded, confirming what he had told her and he smiled. "If it annoys you on your forehead, just put it on your neck, it will have the same effect." He said as she stood up and stroked the TARDIS once more before they walked out and back to the hub.


	13. The Dark Ones and a tender moment

Gwen went and gave the keys back to the Doctor and Rose and said her thanks when the Doctor noticed the band on her forehead.

"Ah, so he found his backpack then?" Rose asked.

"The TARDIS made sure it was in a room nearby, she didn't like him being there long." Gwen said as she let out a giggle and left the pair to their work. She walked out and saw Jack and John arguing; she went up to the door of Jack's office and tried to make sense of what was happening.

"If it wasn't for that stupid time loop I so would not want to know you!" Jack said.

"Now Jack, don't say things that you would regret." John said to him.

"How am I able to trust you after all the shit you have done?"

"Not my issue."

"Trust me, if I lock you in with Janet then that will solve all of my issues!" Gwen had heard enough and went up to the pair and walked in between them.

"Now that is enough!" Gwen shouted as she looked at the pair who was sending death glares to each other. "Now I don't care who started it or the reason why but Jack!" she said as Jack opened his mouth and raised his hand in wanting to say something, "we are on the same side and we need all the help we can get. If we are to win this war and finally restore the balance that captain Jackass there" Gwen pointed at John "helped screw up as well as whatever else has happened then we need to work together." She said as she looked at the two Time Agents standing side by side of her. "Do you both hear me and understand me?" she asked as she looked at John, who slowly nodded and then turned to Jack who tried to smile at her, hoping that she would relax, she shot him a look and he sighed in defeat and nodded. "Good, now that you are both friends I don't expect to find John in the same cell as Janet, Jack…" she said shooting him another warning glare. "And John, I don't expect you to double cross us, do that and I swear by the stars it will be the last thing you do." She said as she turned to the other Time agent, her eyes burnt into his soul and he gulped, nodding in understanding, Gwen smiled at the pair as she walked past them and went into Jack's room. A few minutes later the pair could hear music blaring from Jack's stereo.

Both of the ex-Time Agents looked at each other and shivered.

"She can be so scary when she is threatening people." John said as he and Jack left the office and went to get some coffee.

"Agreed, should not cross her path when she is in one of her moods." Jack said as he began to pour coffee for them and the Doctor and Rose.

"So, you think that her locking herself in your room with music blaring is a good idea?" John asked as he picked up the extra cups of coffee and followed Jack to the boarding room.

"Not sure, but I am not going to be the one to check on her." Jack said as he opened the door and handed Rose a cup of coffee.

"Thanks Jack, that we so need. While you guys are here look at this. We found these in your lovely archive and think that we can get it up and running. Once installed on your computers and after a few upgrades I think we can have something good going here." Rose said as she sat down and closed her eyes. She was tired and was beginning to feel the strain.

"Why don't you go and lie down on the sofa in the main hub Rosie? Catch a few winks before we begin the upgrading huh?" Jack suggested and Rose looked and him with one eye open and nodded. She went over to the Doctor and kissed him on the cheek and left. The Doctor looked up from his work and touched his cheek where Rose had kissed him, John and Jack looked at each other and a wide grin spread on both of their faces as the Doctor blushed and then coughed turning back to the other machines he had on the table.

"So John, you can fix that since I know you know how to work one while Jack and I work on this." He said as he pointed John over to the far end of the conference table and he started working on the machine with the tools that were in the tool box while Jack looked at the Doctor.

"So, Gwen has started to blare her music, is that a good idea?" the Doctor asked Jack.

"Well, if you want to go and check on her, be my guest but I am not going to be on the receiving end of an energy beam or whatever else she has up her sleeve." Jack said as he looked down at the machine in front of him. Jack saw the Doctor take off parts from another machine next to it and began to piece the machine together. In seeing this, it finally clicked to Jack as to what the machine was and smiled as the boys continued to work.

Gwen closed her eyes and lay on the bed as her music blared through Jack's room. She knew that they would not come down and she quickly got changed into her training gear, picked up her training jacket and walked out of the hub without anyone spotting her. She stretched as she plugged in her iPod and began to run. She knew where she was going; she wanted to be alone and away from people so that she could finally let her feelings out. She left her phone, communicator, headband from John and keys, anything that would mean that Torchwood could track her and just ran. Sweat began to pour down her face and she felt the dampness on the back of her neck and smiled, feeling somewhat better that she could finally let go. She continued running for about an hour until she was on the outskirts of Cardiff and near the woods which were her final destination. Her muscles were screaming out to her to give herself a break, her t-shirt was drenched but she kept running, running away from her problems, running away for her solutions and running away from the inevitable. She reached the river that was in the middle of the forest and paused. She crouched down as she washed her hands and poured water over her face from the river. She sat down and then lay down on the stones surrounding the bank of the river. She stopped her music and listened to the silence that suddenly engulfed her. All she could hear was the running water from the river which she used to take all her thoughts and feelings away, washing her clean. After a while, Gwen stood up and took in a deep breath and began to scream. Once she had finished the tears were already falling down her cheeks, she began to fire some energy bolts into the forest to let out her anger. After doing this for a further hour she finally let herself collapsed to her knees as she began to sob her heart out. She was angry for everything that had happened, she was sad as she knew she was going to lose a lot due to this war and she was scared, not for herself, but for everyone else in the universe. She felt their pain and this only magnified hers more.

Hours passed and Jack looked up at the boys, the Doctor and he had finished their machine and were beginning another one whereas John was sitting down and taking a break after finishing his.

"Since time has passed, do you think it is safe to check on the firefly?" John asked Jack as he looked at his friend.

"She must have fallen asleep." The Doctor said as he looked up at the pair. Jack paused and listened to the sounds of the hub.

"No she wouldn't, not with her music that loud." Jack said as he began to frown. "Rosie must have gone to the main part of the hub and not down to my room otherwise she would have asked Gwen to turn it down." He continued as he looked at the time on his watch, "considering what she has been through and the time she should be asleep by now…" Jack continued as he looked at the pair, they knew that something must be wrong and ran to the main part of the hub. Jack ran to his room, the Doctor went up to Rose and began to wake her whereas John went up to Tosh's computer and activated it.

"Rose, have you seen Gwen?" The Doctor asked her as she looked at him sleepy and shook her head, automatically putting her head back down and fell asleep; Jack came out of his office with the red headband in his hand and showed it to John.

"She is not in there." He said as he put the headband on the table and watched John working with Tosh's computer "if you delete any of her work she will kill you." Jack said as he watched John work.

"Trust me am not going to get on the wrong side of the geeky one… now where is Gwen?" he said as she went into the CCTV of the hub and the bay. There was nothing there except the light from the sun setting and the night approaching. "Is there any way to rewind this?" he asked, Jack shook his head.

"None that I am aware of, Tosh mainly takes care of this but I doubt it, we can only get a live feed and we don't record this." Jack said as he looked up at the Doctor. They walked over to Rose and shook her. Rose let out a small moan for being disturbed. "Rosie, it's important and we need to talk to you." Jack said, Rose opened her eyes and looked at the boys and their worried face. "Did you see Gwen?" he asked, Rose shook her head.

"Her music has been playing, so I assumed she was in your room Jack." She said as she began to sit up and Jack crouched down in front of her, putting his hands on her lap.

"She isn't there, did you hear anyone leave or enter the hub?" he asked and again she shook her head. Jack let out a sigh. "Is there any way that you could connect to her, to find her? She has left her phone, keys, headband and communicator here. That is not like Gwen, either something has happened or she does not want me to find her." Jack explained; Rose looked at him as the information began to sink in through the sleepiness. She nodded as she closed her eyes and golden light began to radiate from her.

Gwen felt the presence trying to connect with her and knew it was Rose. Gwen put up her shields as high as she could, hoping that Rose would take the hint and not try to reach her. Once she felt the pushing subside she lay down and looked up to the sky and watched the day turn into twilight. The tears had finally stopped and she felt better for being able to release her feelings, however now she was facing another decision. She could simply run away, forget all about being the eternal key and the inevitable war and just hide. She knew she would have to leave Jack, Zara and Crystal behind but shouldn't she be allowed a choice? To be given a chance at a normal human life? Cutting her ties with her family would mean that she would lose her powers, become mortal again wasn't that something she always wanted?

Rose looked at the boys as the glow began to fade. "Sorry Jack, I can not reach her. I can feel her and know that she is fine and not hurt but that is all I can tell you." She said as she looked at the Doctor who smiled at her. Jack stood up and walked away and kicked the table near him.

"Its fine Rose, you did what you could." The Doctor said as he put his arms around her and began rocking her so that she would fall asleep again.

Gwen thought back to all of the fun times she had with her friends and Jack. She remembered how happy she was being able to find her family. Was it really selfish to want a chance at a normal life? This was something that her abilities and her job could not give her. Gwen stood up and looked around, was she really debating leaving the Earth to fall into the hands of the dark ones? She felt a presence and turned to see an image of a person standing before her. She looked at the person and walked around them, she could feel the darkness radiating from them.

"So, the child of light is debating about letting the darkness overtake her?" the person said. Gwen looked at them puzzled before pulling herself up to her height. The person was wearing a black robe and had red hair, which was in complete contrast to the suit and she could tell that the skin was tanned.

"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked the person who laughed.

"Why, I am here to bring you to the darkness, I mean if that is what you really want. I can promise you all the people you love will not be hurt when we win." The person said as they walked towards her and reached out to touch Gwen's face, Gwen moved back and hit the hand away which the person looked at her evilly.

"You still haven't answered my question, who are you?" She repeated, raising her voice slightly.

"I am the one who will make your lover go through the fire to get you child of light. I am Josiah and I will make you mine child of light, even if you come over to our side willingly or not!" he said as he reached out and grabbed Gwen by the neck, lifting her up. She began to struggle for breath as she choked; she felt her bracelet get warm and closed her eyes, willing the power to be pushed out. Purple light engulfed her as she opened her eyes and pushed her power toward Josiah he dropped Gwen to the ground as she gasped for breath, he took his hand towards his chest. Gwen looked at it and saw that she had burnt it badly.

"So you are the one who is supposed to lead my lover into the fire? You do that and I will burn you more than that next time." She said as he looked down at her.

"The child of light bites back. I have come to offer you to join us; however I can see that it may not work. I bide you farewell for now." He said and as quickly as he came, he disappeared. Gwen fell down to her knees and gasped for breath, begging for once that death had indeed taken her. She curled up in a ball and even though she thought she had no tears left in her, she began to cry once again.

"Whoa, we have a spike in the rift!" John said as he heard the computer go off. He went up to the console and began looking at the screens, "In the forest on the outskirts of Cardiff." He said as his hands flew over the keyboard with ease, similar to how Tosh worked. Rose reached out and grabbed her head and let out a moan. The Doctor looked at her as Jack rushed to the computer to look at the readings.

"One of the dark ones are there, they must be with Gwen." Rose whispered out, the Doctor nodded and went up to Jack.

"Gwen is there, isn't she?" he asked and the Doctor nodded. "Who else is there, what will they do to her?" he asked.

"Rose said that one of the dark ones is there with her. This dark one is causing the rift spike that we have picked up here. Something must have made them come to her, there is no other explanation." The Doctor said as he looked at the two ex-Time Agents. Jack shook his head and ran to his office. Coming out he had grabbed his coat and put it on. Picking up Gwen's headband he turned to leave the hub.

"Jack, wait a second! The rift spike is gone, readings are back to normal!" John shouted out to him.

"I don't care; I need to see if Gwen is there and if she is okay." He said as he ran out the cog door and to the SUV. He put his communicator in his ear and heard John's voice on the other end.

"If Gwen is there she left for a reason Jack, do you really think that this is a good idea to get her?" he said as he started the car.

"She is in trouble and that is all I need to know, send the coords to the SUV and I will be there in ten minutes, just make sure all the lights are green for me." Jack said as he left the parking lot and drove through Cardiff.

As instructed, John made sure that the lights were green for Jack and he parked the SUV near the outskirts of the woods. Turning off the engine he made sure his gun was loaded, picked up the headband and went in search of Gwen. He walked around and listened to the sounds of nature. He heard a river running near by and remembered Gwen's love for the calming sound of the water. He walked to the river and then looked up and down the banks. He shone the torch and saw nothing and continued moving. He heard something sobbing in the distance and knew that it had to be Gwen. He began to pick his pace up and ran to the person he saw lying on the ground. He reached out and touched them, the person jumped. Jack bent down and put his arm around the person and pulled them towards him. Putting the shining torch on the ground, he stroked the head of his girlfriend as she continued to cry her heart out.

"Jack, what did you find?" John said in his ear.

"Gwen, I found Gwen." He said as he held onto her tighter and kissed her head. She looked up and saw Jack through her tear stained eyes.

"Jack?" she said and he nodded. She nodded back as she began to calm herself down and put her head on his chest, taking in his scent. "Rift spike?" she asked him, she felt him make a sound which meant yes and she cursed in Gian. "You weren't supposed to find me" she said as she began to remember why she left. "I needed to be left alone, needed to be let go, become normal." She said and Jack held onto her tighter.

"Don't leave me, how am I supposed to find the light without you?" he asked her and she shrugged. "I need you like I need air and if I have to be immortal and I can not have you by my side, then there is no reason to live forever." He said as he held onto her closer. Gwen looked up at him and tried to smile. "Now tell me, where you thinking of leaving us?" he said to her in a playful tone, she nodded. "And this is how the dark ones found you, they must have picked up on your negative thoughts?" he asked and again she nodded. Jack reached into his pocket and took out the headband; placing it on her head she felt the plastic on her forehead. She looked up and smiled at him.

"I thought that if I was normal then no harm would come to everyone." She said as she began to gather her thoughts back to herself. "Once the thoughts entered my head I could not push them away, they grew and I thought that I would be doing the right thing. Then Josiah showed up and gave me an offer I could nearly not refuse, but I could feel the darkness radiating from him and once I knew what he really wanted, he choked me. I welcomed the death, but my powers burnt him. All I want to do is die Jack, please let me go!" she said as she hugged him. Jack held onto her tighter and helped her stand up.

"The dark ones know who I am and I am not going to let you get hurt for me, Jack I want you to promise me you won't walk into the fire, you will ignore whatever Josiah will ask you please Jack." She said as she looked into his eyes. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing; the normal spark from Gwen was gone. He knew that he had to help remind her about being human.

"Gwen if walking through the fire means I get to you then nothing will stop me." He said to her, she nodded, she knew that he was going to say this to her. "Come on, we need to get you back to the hub, showered and in bed, You need to sleep and recover from the day and tomorrow I promise you just you and me and a normal day, we don't want you to forget what it is like to be human right?" he said as he smiled his charm smile on her. Gwen melted at the look and her eyes gleamed, Jack's eyes lit up as he saw a part of his Gwen coming back. Gwen looked at him and moved her head closer, pulling Jack's head down to meet hers and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Jack allowed Gwen to take control of the kiss so that she knew he would do anything that she wanted. Gwen began to probe her tongue into his mouth as Jack let out a small moan; both he and Gwen had been neglecting each others wants and needs.

"How long can it take for you to get the hub empty and us back?" Gwen asked as she pulled back from Jack briefly.

"Ten minutes, twenty tops." he said as he pulled Gwen back to him and began kissing her.

"Do it." she said in between kisses. Jack nodded that he understood while still kissing her and put her on his lap, picking her up and standing at the same time, he pulled away briefly to pick up the torch and carried Gwen back to the SUV.

He put her in the passenger seat and went around to the driver's side, pressing his communicator button at the same time.

"John can you make sure that you, Rose and the Doctor are out of the hub oh and make the lights green for our run back to the hub." Jack said as he started the SUV and began to drive back.

"Frisky pair aren't you? Sure I can do that, where am I supposed to stay?" he asked as Jack looked over at Gwen and smiled. She put her hand on his leg and moved it closer to his mid regions. Jack closed his eyes as the sensations of pleasure made him shiver and let out a moan.

"There is a Hilton hotel near the bay, book under Torchwood and they will charge my account. Stay there for a few nights until we find you somewhere." he said as Gwen leaned over and kissed him.

"Sure I can get the tea boy to put me up after that." John said as Jack laughed slightly in Gwen mouth. "No problem will make sure that the hub is empty for you guys. See you tomorrow." he said as Jack turned off the communicator and pulled Gwen closer. After the need of air became desperate for them both, Jack took the chance to get them back to the hub, Gwen's hand did not leave his leg the entire time and it became clear to her that Jack wanted and needed her as much as she needed him. They reached the parking lot near the hub in record time, Jack turned the engine off and went to the passenger side and picked Gwen out of her seat. She kissed him as he paused at the door to show his eye to give a retinal scan. Once the door clicked, he kicked it open and they went inside. Jack carried Gwen down the hallway and they entered the main part of the hub. Gwen had pulled away from Jack as she needed air again. He looked at Gwen and she smiled as he put her down.

"You need to have a shower." he said to her as he began to take her jacket off.

"Would you like to join me captain?" she asked as she began to walk towards the shower area which was in the lower level of the hub. As she walked she removed her t-shirt and then her bra, leaving them on the floor and swaying her hips from side to side. She looked back at Jack and sent a sexy smile his way and winked at him. That was all Jack needed to see as she went down towards the showers with Jack following quickly behind her. He saw her take her training pants off and then her underwear before heading into the shower. Jack watched and checked Gwen's body out. She was skinnier than when she joined, there was no denying that, however he still found her extremely sexy. He popped his head around the wall and saw Gwen singing in the shower. The heat from the warm water was creating steam and watching her run her hands through her wet hair was making Jack want her more. She turned and opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"So are you going to join me?" she said as she looked at him, Jack did not need to be told twice. He took his jacket off and his trousers, throwing his suspenders, underwear and shirt on the floor and then went up to Gwen. The water was warm as it hit his naked body. He reached over and put his hands on Gwen's shoulders and began to rub them. Gwen let out a small moan as she relaxed as Jack massaged her shoulders. He began to kiss her neck He leaned closer to her and Gwen could feel that he was already hard. She grinned as she turned to face him; Jack looked down at her and reached over for her shower gel. He put some in his hands and began to rub his hands over Gwen's shoulder and down her back, pulling her closer to him. Gwen leaned into his chest and began kissing it. Her hand reached down and touched Jack's cock and he gasped at her touch as he began to put shower gel on her bum. Gwen began rubbing him as he gently pushed her under the running water to get the soap off her back.

"Turn around." He whispered in her ear, Gwen stopped moving her hand and heard Jack let out a sigh of disappointment as she turned around. Jack put more shower gel on his hands and began washing her front. Gwen moved her hand so that she could continue touching him and this made him groan as she continued. Jack's hands rested on her breasts as he began to massage them, Gwen let out a small gasp as he rubbed one of her nipples, making it stand on end. With her other hand, she reached up to Jack's neck and pulled him down to her and kissed him hard. Once Jack had both of her nipples standing to attention, he began to move his hands lower, putting gel on her toned stomach and then moving down to her legs, avoiding her mid regions on purpose to tease her. She opened her legs as Jack began to spread the soap on her body. He could feel the heat coming from her, but did not give in to the temptation that he had. He stopped and moved back from her and pushed her under the water.

"Time to rinse." he said as he looked at her and winked. Gwen closed her eyes and let the shower wash away the soap and felt Jack's hands back around her neck, massaging her and helping her relax. Gwen was enjoying this but she needed more, she needed him. She turned off the shower and turned to face him. He walked away and came back a few seconds later with towels and wrapped her in one of them as he wrapped the other around his waist. Gwen looked down at his chest and smiled.

"Someone once told me not to start what I can not finish, are you going to leave a job half done?" she asked him as she walked up to him swaying her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked over his shoulder, seeing all of their clothes on the floor.

"Trust me, I intend to finish this." he growled in her ear as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "But not here, not for our first time my little kitten." he said as Gwen let out a little scream and laughed. Jack carried her to their room and made love to her for the first time.


End file.
